While the creators of The Big Bang Theory struck gold when they cast Jim Parsons, the actor had one real-life connection to Sheldon Cooper that made his performance even better. Although The Big Bang Theory was a hang-out show that relied on its entire ensemble cast to succeed, there is no doubt about who the show’s breakout character was. Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco were both established sitcom stars with years of experience under their belts before the show began. However, The Big Bang Theory made comparative newcomer Jim Parsons into a star. Parsons turned Sheldon Cooper into a sitcom legend in his inimitable performance.

There is a good reason that The Big Bang Theory’s first spinoff followed Sheldon’s story since Parsons made the character the most memorable addition to the show’s cast. In another actor’s hands, Sheldon’s unreasonable nature and obstinate demands could have made him boorish and annoying. However, Parsons made Sheldon ludicrous, funny, and strangely sweet in his own weird way. He tapped into the character’s humanity and made what should have been an annoying nerd stereotype into a beloved sitcom star. This should come as no surprise, as Parsons shared an unlikely autobiographical detail with his character from The Big Bang Theory.

Jim Parsons and TBBT’s Sheldon Share A Home State

Like Sheldon Cooper, Parsons came from Texas. This made his character’s accent (or rather, lack thereof) fitting, as the actor already knew how to speak with the unique dialect of his home state. Even though Young Sheldon’s storyline proves Sheldon lost his accent way back in his childhood, his southern roots still resurface occasionally throughout The Big Bang Theory. Since Parsons is actually from Texas, he incorporated his hometown accent when Sheldon needed to sound more Texan.

On the rare occasions that Sheldon let his inner Texan out, Parsons was able to slip into a natural, convincing Texan drawl thanks to his formative years in the Lone Star state. This character detail was one of many reasons Sheldon won over viewers despite his arrogance, self-importance, and standoffish approach to human interactions. In reality, Sheldon’s actor admitted that he had also largely lost his own Texan accent before he took on the role. This was another fortunate coincidence that ended up fitting his backstory, since despite all of The Big Bang Theory’s inconsistencies, the series did justify Sheldon’s missing accent.

Sheldon’s Backstory Fits His Actor’s Story

In real life, Parsons toned down his Texas accent as he was trained in classical theater, with the actor joking that his college years beat the accent out of him. This reflected the way Sheldon dropped his accent as he moved into academia and wanted to be taken seriously, making the link between Sheldon’s fictional story and the Parsons’ real-life history even stronger. Since Sheldon rarely speaks with a Texan accent, the creators of the series could easily have gone with another actor who had no connection to the state. However, The Big Bang Theory’s creators chose well when they picked Parsons for the role.