Why Chuck Lorre Asked Christine Baranski To Play Leonard’s Mom On The Big Bang Theory

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Christine Baranski absolutely rocks, and that’s a fact. Ever since the 1980s, Baranski has been a staple of the screen and stage, winning her first Emmy for playing the hard-drinking sidekick Maryann Thorpe on “Cybill” and two Tony awards as of this writing (for Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Thing” in 1984 and Neil Simon’s “Rumors” in 1989). You might know her from the “Mamma Mia!” movies, as Diane Lockhart on either “The Good Wife” or “The Good Fight,” or from HBO’s luxurious drama “The Gilded Age,” but fans of “The Big Bang Theory” know that she played Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who’s the mother of Johnny Galecki’s Leonard Hofstadter, on the series. Baranski ultimately picked up four Emmy nominations for the guest role, but how did she get involved in the first place?

In Jessica Radloff’s 2022 book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,” executive producer Lee Aronsohn talked about introducing Beverly in season 2 of the series … and why Baranski joined the show. “Chuck [Lorre] and I had worked with Christine on ‘Cybill’ and loved her,” Aronsohn explained, and yes, Lorre also created “Cybill” back in the day. “We knew the woman’s rhythms. We knew what she could knock out of the park. So, we gave her some juicy slowballs right over the plate and she hit them out.”

“My association with Chuck Lorre changed my career,” Baranski said, speaking to Radloff for the book. “I owe a lot to him, so when he came knocking on my door for ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and I read the [script for Beverly], I thought, Oh, okay, I know how to do this. Just like Maryann on ‘Cybill,’ she was another really terrific lady with these drippy one-liners. And a very different character, which was great.”

Baranski went on to say that ultimately, working with such fresh actors was also a huge draw. “But what intrigued me about [the show], and still one of the reasons I’m happy I did it, was those young actors,” she mused. “They are super famous now, but they weren’t famous back then. Nobody knew those names. They were all just young, and the show was so original.”

“And when I came on the show, ‘Big Bang’ was hot,” Baranski continued, speaking to the series’ enduring legacy. “But then as I continued over the years to come on, it simply became a mega hit, a cult hit. And for me, nothing but joy. Even now, when I’m on vacation in Florence or in Dublin, people will approach me and say, ‘Are you Leonard’s mother?'”