Guest of the 30th edition of Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show, Kevin Sussman talked about his character Stuart in The Big Bang Theory and explained how a single line influenced the development of this character.
Kevin Sussman should have played Kripke
“Actually Chuck Lorre, the creator of TBBT, originally wanted me to play the role of Kripke […] but I couldn’t do it because I was doing a movie at the time. So I ended up doing Stuart which was just supposed to be like a day on the show […] and then they had me come back a couple of times and then the rest is history.”
Stuart’s development influenced by an unscripted moment
During his panel at Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show, Kevin Sussman revealed that the character of Stuart was initially meant to be a normal guy and not as unlucky and depressed as he has been known throughout the series.
This change came after Stuart whispered “I love You” to Penny (Kaley Cuoco) in the episode The Guitarist Amplification (3×07). This line, which was not written in the script and is therefore an initiative of the actor, was used by the writers as a starting point for Stuart’s regression to make him more and more depressed as Kevin Sussman explains in the video below:
A common past with his character
When asked if he knew anything about comics before he got the role, Kevin Sussman revealed that he had something in common with his character. Like Stuart, he worked in a comic book store when his acting career wasn’t taking off. A detail that the producers did not know at the time they chose him for the role.
Later, the actor said that even if he liked this past experience, he would not see himself owning his own comic book store because the financial situation experienced by Stuart in the series is not so far from reality, especially because of the competition of digital.
One regret: not having been able to develop the Stuart/Denise relationship
Stuart, who has been unlucky in love throughout The Big Bang Theory, finally finds happiness at the end of the series with Denise (Lauren Lapkus).
Despite this happy ending, Kevin Sussman has one regret: not having been able to develop this relationship more on screen. He would not have been against additional seasons. He said: “I don’t think the writers knew until the final season that it was going to be the final season. My character had just gotten a girlfriend so I was excited to see what was going to happen with that storyline.” Now we can only speculate. And you, what would you have liked to see as a development for this couple? Tell us in the comments.
Kevin Sussman 
The Big Bang Theory 
