Why Young Sheldon is the nicest kid in Hollywood!
The pint-size actor made a secret pact with his mum to keep his feet on the ground
He’s taken the acting world by storm and been declared a ratings success for his role as Sheldon Cooper in Young Sheldon, the comedy prequel spin-off to The Big Bang Theory.
But adorable youngster Iain Armitage, who has brought smiles and laughs to audiences across the world, is determined not to let fame go to his head!
Big Bang Theory actor Jim Parsons, 45, who stars as the original Sheldon Cooper and serves as an executive producer on the show, says he couldn’t be happier of the way his protege is handling his newfound success.
“He and his mother have an agreement,” Jim revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. “I’ve heard her say to him [Iain], ‘What’s our agreement?’ And he’s like, ‘As long as I’m a nice person I can keep doing this [acting].’ Is that not the best agreement?
“Watching Iain bring this young version of this character to life that I’ve been working on for a decade of my own life, it was really moving. I felt such a sympathy for this little guy. It was kind of mind-blowing to see him brought to life through Iain.”
At only nine years old, Iain already has an impressive résumé. He landed his big break on Law And Order: Special Victims Unit in 2016, and went on to play Ziggy Chapman in Foxtel’s award-winning Big Little Lies alongside Shailene Woodley, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.
But his early success isn’t altogether surprising, given he’s following in the footsteps of his talented parents. His father Euan Morton is a Tony-winning stage and screen actor, and his mother Lee Armitage is a theatre producer.
And while he might be biased, dad Euan thinks Iain deserves every bit of his success.
“It couldn’t happen to a nicer child,” he says. “I would say that even if Iain wasn’t my son because he is kind, generous, giving. He isn’t selfish. He isn’t mean. He’s never had a tantrum in his life, not once.”