One of the more exciting casting choices in “Young Sheldon” (a show partly inspired by Jim Parsons) was the decision to pick Zoe Perry for the role of Mary, Sheldon’s stern, loving, religious mother. The role in “The Big Bang Theory,” which takes place in Sheldon’s adulthood, went to Laurie Metcalf, an award-winning big-name actor who’s also Perry’s real-life mother. It’s a casting choice that makes a lot of sense (not only are the women related, but they share a lot of the same mannerisms), although it also gets a little awkward when you take into account the ongoing discourse around nepotism in Hollywood. When asked in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter how she felt about getting the role at least partially because she’s the daughter of such a famous performer, Perry offered her thoughts:
“I don’t think there’s any way to negate that because, why would you? We have lots of similarities when it comes to our voices and mannerisms, and I’m lucky that I have that at my disposal — not only for this part, but in general. When I act, if I stumble upon something that reminds me, unintentionally or unconsciously, of either of my parents, I’m grateful for it because I respect them so much for what they’ve done. I know if something comes off or sounds like them, I’ve stumbled upon something good.”
Owning the advantage you have (as opposed to denying your nepo baby status) is probably the best response an actor can give in this sort of situation; at least, it’s far better than pretending as though someone without your family name had the same odds of getting your role as you did. In a 2020 interview with Backstage, Perry lightly addressed the nepotism complaints again, stating, “I can’t deny that there’s a great privilege in having parents who are established in the field that I’m pursuing. I try to appreciate the fact that they’re so great at it. They’ve been such great role models not only talent-wise, but in how they lead their lives and the reasons why they’ve pursued this.”
How does Laurie Metcalf feel about Zoe Perry playing Mary?
Perry also noted that, although she did have an advantage thanks to her mother, she still never treated the gig as a sure thing during the audition. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up about it because you never know how things are going to shake out,” she explained. “I didn’t put too much stock in the idea that this could be a slam dunk because you never know. Even when something seems to make sense on the page, there’s always stuff you’re unaware of.”
Of course, this wasn’t the first time Perry got a role playing a younger version of one of her mother’s characters. In the ’90s, she also starred as a young Jackie Harris in two episodes of “Roseanne.” Those were her first-ever acting credits, although she didn’t start seriously acting until over a decade later. In a 2017 interview with People, Metcalf explained that she thought Perry had caught “the acting bug” on the set of “Roseanne,” but she “didn’t think it would be a good idea for a kid that young.” When Metcalf dove into acting, she did so with a full adult understanding of what such a career would entail.
When it comes to “Young Sheldon,” Metcalf was supportive of her daughter taking on her role, although she jokingly suggested at a 2024 Calgary Expo panel (via Collider) that “Young Sheldon” should’ve featured a “face-off” between the two versions of the character. (“I would definitely — I did play with Zoe one time […] Maybe we should have a Mary Cooper face-off, and people could [vote] who’s the better Mary Cooper,” as she put it.) “Young Sheldon” never did such a thing, although in those final episodes of season 7 (after George Sr. tragically passed), you can start to see Perry’s Mary Cooper morphing into the slightly colder, more religious version of Mary Cooper that Metcalf portrayed. The two versions didn’t literally meet, but they did start to collide a little by the end.