The Big Bang Theory was a big success for the main actors. One of them is grateful to the series to this day, as it ended a long dry spell full of odd jobs and secured him a residence permit in the USA.
Which actor is being referred to? Kunal Nayyar experienced his big breakthrough with The Big Bang Theory. In the series, which aired from 2007 to 2019, he was seen for 279 episodes as Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali, short Raj. He portrayed the character in a charming way and knew what was good for the character.
Before that, however, the actor went through some tough years in the USA. The British native arrived in the United States in 1999 and studied acting at Temple University in Philadelphia. Like many young people, he had to work alongside his studies to finance his life.
Today, many years later, Kunal Nayyar looks back on that time pragmatically.
Not too good for any job
How did Nayyar get by? The acting student had to find his way in the USA, finance his studies, and cover all other living costs. He took every job that came his way. In a conversation with Fortune, he shares today:
I just did every job I could. In my first year in 1999, I cleaned toilets, I was in the housekeeping department. I did everything I could. No job was too low for me.
Kunal Nayyar
Fortunately, Kunal Nayyar got the role and subsequently received permission to continue staying in the USA.
Despite the happy ending, one can imagine how great the pressure must have been on the actor before and during the casting. But that’s not all: even after the approval, there was a moment of tension shortly before filming began: The Big Bang Theory: One of the main actors was fired without cause – but the creator brought him back
Besides his cleaning jobs, he also worked as the computer room manager at his school, taught acting, waited tables, or cleaned windows in a church.
It was not until gradually that the first acting jobs came in. Nayyar played a small role in the popular series Navy CIS. But the breakthrough did not come. Slowly, time was running out, as the actor was about to graduate from his studies, which presented him with the next problem.
What was the problem? Nayyar had a student visa for the duration of his acting studies. This allowed him to stay in the USA. About a year before it expired and he would have to leave the country, he went to the casting of a then-unknown series: The Big Bang Theory.
I needed to book something big to be able to apply for a permanent residence permit, and then I auditioned for Big Bang, and the rest is history. But I had only a year left on my visa because when an international student graduates, you get a one-year free work permit. So I was under time pressure.
Kunal Nayyar
Fortunately, Kunal Nayyar got the role and subsequently received permission to continue staying in the USA.
Despite the happy ending, one can imagine how great the pressure must have been on the actor before and during the casting. But that’s not all: even after the approval, there was a moment of tension shortly before filming began: The Big Bang Theory: One of the main actors was fired without cause – but the creator brought him back
