Ryan Murphy Talks Casting of Jim Parsons in HBO's THE NORMAL HEART

By: Mar. 11, 2015
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In a new interview with Variety, GLEE co-creator Ryan Murphy talks about his decision to have actor Jim Parsons reprise his Broadway performance as Tommy Boatwright for his 2014 TV adaptation of Broadway's THE NORMAL HEART.

"I had owned the film rights since 2009 to 'The Normal Heart.' Then the play came out, which was sort of a happy accident," explains Murphy. "it was supposed to be a reading that then became a stage production. I went to see the play when I was working on early pre-production. I was so moved and blown away by Jim. I was very struck by him. I had never seen him on stage, or in anything other than his television work."

He continued, "I wrote Larry Kramer an email saying, 'I really want to cast Jim as Tommy.' And he wrote back saying, 'That's funny, because Jim is the only person I will approve for the role.'

Murphy goes on to share how special it was to have the actor on board. "Once we had his deal done I talked to Larry and he wrote other scenes and amazing things for him. That was really cool, to have an actor cast and love him so much to then expand the part. The eulogy scene was not in the play. It was written by Larry for screen and written specifically for Jim, to give him a really big aria."

Praising Parsons as an actor and a person, Murphy says, "He has a real purity and simplicity. The more I work and the older I get in life, I find the hardest thing to do is to do simple really well." He adds, "I think it's because he's able to access his emotions very readily. There's never a false note with Jim. Even on takes I would never use, he was always fully formed and fully truthful. He's a master of that."

Read the interview in full here

Parsons stars as Sheldon Cooper on CBS' critically acclaimed hit 'The Big Bang Theory.' Season 7 premiered in September with 20.44 million viewers, an all-time high for the series.

In addition, Parsons will be seen in the indie film, 'Wish I Was Here,' directed and co-written by Zach Braff. Parsons will co-star alongside Kate Hudson, Ashley Greene, Joey King, Zach Braff, and James Avery. The film follows the story of Aidan Bloom (Braff), a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find himself. 'Wish I Was Here' is set for release on July 24, 2014.

Parsons recently wrapped production on the new Blumhouse Production thriller 'Visions,' opposite Isla Fisher, Gillian Jacobs, and Anson Mount. The film centers on an expectant mother who is plagued by strange and terrifying visions. The Universal Pictures film is be directed by Kevin Greutert and executive produced by Jason Blum and Matt Kaplan.

Parsons was most recently seen, in the summer of 2012, in the first Broadway revival of Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Harvey,' in the role of Elwood Dowd, the genial eccentric who claims to see a six-foot-tall white rabbit Harvey. The production ran with limited engagement at the famous Studio 54 in New York City.

In the summer of 2012, it was announced that that Parsons would play the lead voice in 'Home,' a DreamWorks Animation adaption of the award-winning book 'The True Meaning of Smekday' by Adam Rex co-starring Rihanna. In 'Home' a friendly alien race invades Earth and uses it as a hideout from their mortal enemy. When one lowly alien (Parsons) accidentally notifies the enemies of his whereabouts, he is forced to go on the run with a teenage girl (Rihanna), embarking on a comical road-trip across a post-apocalyptic America and learning what it really means to be human. Home is set to hit theaters on November 26, 2014.

In 2011 and in 2010, Parsons won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and in 2011 he won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical for his work as Sheldon Cooper on CBS's hit comedy 'The Big Bang Theory.' He also received a People's Choice nomination for Favorite TV Comedy Actor in 2011 and was nominated again in 2012. He also received the NAB Television Chairman's Award, which honors significant breakthroughs in television, during the 2010 conference in Las Vegas. In addition, Parsons won the award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association for its very first Critics' Choice Television Awards.

Parsons received a Theatre World Award for his debut Broadway performance as Tommy Boatwright in 'The Normal Heart,' starring opposite Ellen Barkin, John Benjamin Hickey, and Joe Mantello. 'The Normal Heart' won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play and Outstanding Ensemble Performance. 'The Normal Heart' also received nominations from The Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding Revival of a Play, as well as five Tony Award nominations.

Parsons also guest starred in an episode of the hit Nickelodeon sitcom 'iCarly,' starring Miranda Cosgrove, during its fourth season. He also appeared in the highly anticipated comedy 'The Muppets,' which opened in theaters in November of 2011.

Parsons appeared Fox 2000's comedy 'The Big Year,' opposite Rashida Jones, Anjelica Huston, Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson, which premiered October 2011. David Frankel directed the film based on Mark Obmascik's tome about three men who try to outdo each other during a year-long competition to spot the rarest birds in North America. Parsons plays an avid birder in the contest.

In 2009, 'The Big Bang Theory' won Best Television Comedy at the People's Choice Award, was selected as an AFI nominee, and also won the TCA award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. Parsons was nominated two years in a row (2009 and 2010) for the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy, in addition to winning the award in 2009. TV Guide calls Parsons "a marvelous discovery, creating the most hysterical misfit since 'Monk.'" 'The Big Bang Theory' has helped CBS launch their Thursday night comedy line-up, regularly winning the night across all networks.

Photo courtesy of HBO



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