NEW YORK — The cast of “The Big Bang Theory” were the featured guests on CBS’ late-night talk show “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on May 16. Here are some of the highlights from their big interview after the popular sitcom ended its 12-season run.
All of the stars came on stage at once and sat on giant couches facing the audience. They were given a standing ovation. After Colbert hugged them one-by-one, they sat down and the interview began. Colbert sat in a chair in between the two couches.
The first question was: “Guys, do you like where we left the characters?”
“We were talking to the writers a lot as we were getting ready, and everyone was like ‘we’re nervous,'” said lead actor Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon. “You can’t get it wrong because it’s yours. You can’t get it right, it’s a series finale. Some people are going to hate it. I can’t imagine it being that divisive actually.”
Johnny Galecki, who played Leonard, answered: “Absolutely, the writers did an incredible job.”
Kaley Cuoco, who played Penny, added: “That was not an easy feat. It was hard. We had a lot of anxieties about how this was going to go. There was a lot of pressure on how to end this. Fans wanted to know how it was going to end. It was tough but they did it brilliantly.”
After 12 seasons and a record 279-episode run, it’s the longest running sitcom in studio history. The audience cheered. Does it feel like the longest one?
“No, I’m surprised every time that comes up,” Parsons explained. “It kind of went by pretty quick.”
Simon Helberg, who played Howard, added: “Take that Cheers. I hate Cheers.”
What was the last day of filming like after those 12 years together?
“Very bizarre, even driving into work,” Cuoco said. “Most of it we shot a few days prior. It was almost like the last day of school in a weird way. You’re kind of like taking pictures of people and crying. It was weird. Some of our producers and our PA’s put together a yearbook.”
Parsons added: “Because of that, the last week of work was… sign my yearbook, sign my yearbook. I was like oh my god.”
“I remember when they yelled cut after the final scene,” said Kunal Nayyar who played Raj. “I had realized those were the last words I ever said as Raj. That’s when I really began to sort of feel it.”
After the final group scene, when the Barenaked Ladies sang the theme song, the cast came together for a big hug. Then, the screen faded to black for the final time.
Watch the complete interview below:
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