Given how emotionally engaging the craft of acting can be, some scenes leave actors changed one way or another, for better or worse. Such was the case for Johnny Galecki while shooting the Season 1 episode "The Middle Earth Paradigm," where Penny hosts a Halloween costume party, inviting Leonard, Sheldon, Raj, Howard, and her hunk of an ex-boyfriend, Kurt (Brian Patrick Wade). After a few condescending exchanges, Kurt humiliates Leonard by picking him up, leaving Leonard upset.
In "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story," Galecki revealed how shooting the scene roused emotional childhood memories for the actor. "Him picking me up as Leonard really affected me to the point where I think I cried after we shot the episode ... It really dug up some old schoolyard stuff for me."
The actor admitted that despite the experience bringing back unpleasant memories, it also drew him closer to Leonard through empathy, helping him play the character for the rest of the show's 12-season run. "I had a way into Leonard and really began to understand him," Galecki said.
