Generally speaking, multicam TV sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory tend to rely far more heavily on actors sticking to scripts while filming, as opposed to endless takes of ad-libbed jokes and improvised silliness. After all, time is of the essence when series are produced on such tight turnarounds. But exceptions do occur, as it goes, and star Kevin Sussman's quick thinking during one of his early scenes as Stuart helped give his quirky character a far more pronounced presence as time went by. And I'm pretty sure fans everywhere are all the more appreciative for it.
Sussman, who got married in April 2023 to now-wife Addie Hall, previously discussed the way he managed to secure a bigger role in the Big Bang Theory universe, speaking at a Q&A for Roster Con. It all goes back to the moment when the comic book shop owner quietly expressed his still-burning desire for Kaley Cuoco's Penny in the Season 3 episode "The Guitarist Amplification." Here's how he put it:
There was a scene with Penny, and she comes into the comic book store, and she asks me a question. And as she's leaving, which was not in the script, I muttered under my breath, 'I love you.
' From that point on is when they sort of caught on to this whole Stuart vibe, where Stuart sort of regresses. Because he started as a normal person, and then he gets more and more desperate in his undying love of Penny.
When Kevin Sussman first joined The Big Bang Theory in Season 2, he enjoyed a two-episode arc involving Stuart going on a couple of dates with Penny, and at least at the time, he was a fairly straightforward and normal dude, at least through the prism of sitcoms.
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