Kevin Sussman Recalls the Crushing Way He Lost the Role of ‘Big Bang Theory’s Howard

Stuart may have failed to save the universe, as the title tells us, but he certainly changed Kevin Sussman‘s career by giving the actor his first starring role in a television series.

But did you know the Stuart Fails to Save the Universe star was originally cast as Howard Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory? Or that he found out he’d lost the role in one of the most heartbreaking ways imaginable?

In The Big Bang Theory official podcast featuring Jessica Radloff, Sussman explained how he got his own sitcom… and how he was wary of celebrating the news when creator Chuck Lorre called him.

“I picked up the phone, and he said, ‘Well, we got a green light,’ out of the blue, after months,” recalled Sussman. “It took all of my concentration to not just veer off the overpass on the 405.”

“And then that phone call, I got home, told my wife, and again, I had to check my phone. I was like, ‘Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah. Yeah. Right there. Right there. He called today at, you know, whatever time. I had a conversation that lasted several minutes long with Chuck Lorre. That happened,'” Sussman remembered.

When asked if he celebrated, Sussman explained, “Yeah, we did, but not the full celebration because I was waiting until we actually started filming because Hollywood.”

For those not in the know, Radloff explained that the last time he celebrated early, it did not work out so well.

“For those that are not familiar, this is a brutal business. You have been through so much,” explained Radloff. “It’s one of the craziest stories ever, that of course, long story short, you were on Ugly Betty, you got the role of Howard Wolowitz, then ABC didn’t want to let you out of your contract for Ugly Betty, then you can’t take the role of Howard Wolowitz, then Simon Helberg gets the role of Howard Wolowitz. You eventually come back in Season 2 of Big Bang and get to play Stuart Bloom.”

“And when I found out that that role went away was during the celebration with my manager. I got a call from my agent that whatever ABC contract blah blah blah, that’s not going to happen.”

“The ABC wouldn’t let you out of the contract. You’re thinking, I’ll go back to Ugly Betty the next season, and they did not have you,” recounted Radloff.

“No, I knew that I wasn’t going back,” said Sussman. “Which made it so much more egregious.”

Radloff then stated, “That’s why everybody who has come and sat in this chair and we talk about Stuart fails to save the universe, they say to me, ‘This could not happen to a better person than Kevin Sussman.’ Period.”

Period.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, July 24, 9/8c, HBO Max