In the new book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, the show’s creators and producers discuss the Hollywood heavy-hitters who could have been on the cast — including Selena Gomez.
Big Bang Theory executive producer Steve Molaro revealed that the producers approached the Only Murders in the Building star several times. Before it was established that Amy (Mayim Bialik)’s parents were still together, Molaro had “kicked around an idea that Amy had been complaining about her awful stepsister,” who would be played by Gomez and be “beautiful and great and everyone loves her.” However, things never worked out due to scheduling conflicts.
It’s no secret that Gomez, 30, is a fan of the show, as revealed in a 2016 Instagram post. Gomez appears to be in her dressing room watching her computer screen with a mug in one hand. “The one thing that gets me going before anything. Sheldon Cooper – Big Bang Theory,” she captioned the post, garnering more than 2 million likes.
Also revealed in the book: Before Johnny Galecki earned the role of Leonard Hofstadter, the producers pursued Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin. “There’s a special ethereal quality to that actor that I thought might be great,” co-creator Chuck Lorre said in the book, with fellow co-creator Bill Prady adding: “We had a terrific meeting with Macaulay … and then we heard that he had decided he wasn’t interested.”
The book says Sandra Bullock was the “first go-to” to accompany Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) to Sheldon and Amy’s Nobel Prize ceremony before they cast Sarah Michelle Gellar to play herself. Why Bullock? Koothrappali has a “long love of her,” exec producer Steve Holland said. “We were excited about it, but we got a polite decline because she was shooting a movie and wasn’t available. But we were very excited Sarah was available to come on.”
