Mayim Bialik opens up on "Big Bang Theory" ending, how it feels returning to set
Dare to Learn. Dare to ChangeMayim Bialik says in a new blog post that she's feeling emotional after hearing the news that "The Big Bang Theory" is coming to a close. The "Big Bang Theory" star, who plays Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, wrote in a blog post on her website Grok Nation, "Am I happy? Of course not. This has been my job since Melissa Rauch and I joined the cast as regulars in season 4. I love my job. I love my castmates, and I feel such appreciation for our incredible crew, our brave writers, our entire staff, and our amazing fans."
The actress continued, "My paying job — the one you know me for — is ending and yes: It's very sad." She admitted, "I fear it's going to be very hard to not cry every day for the next 23 episodes! But, as a cast, we love bringing joy to our viewers and we will continue to do that to the best of our collective ability."
She also wrote in her blog post that she's feeling uncertain about her own future.
"And now I start to figure out what next," she said. "Where will life take me? Where will this career go? What do I want?"
Just last Friday, Bialik spoke to CBS News about her unconventional career path that took her from acting to science and then back to acting again. The actress, who received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007, said of working on the show, "I have nowhere else I'd rather be. I can't speak for anyone else, but this is the best job I've ever had. Well, being a mom is the best job, but this is the second best job I've ever had, so yeah if it were up to me, I'd make the decision right now, but there's a lot of complexity to it."
Bialik, who is a spokesperson for education company Pearson and their new "Dare to Learn. Dare to Change" campaign to encourage adult education, said deciding to pursue her Ph.D. was helpful for her acting career. Bialik also taught science for five years before becoming a regular on "The Big Bang Theory."
"Obviously, I get to have the background and training in science, which has transformed my life," she told CBS News. "That kind of education changes the way you see the world. It changed my life as a parent and as an actor; I can memorize the words on 'Big Bang Theory' more easily because many are familiar to me."
Bialik also said that though being on "Big Bang Theory" is a full-time job, she's always made time to be an advocate for STEM education.
"I run a website; I make YouTube videos," she explained. "There's all sorts of other things I do in the sciences ... It feels good to be part of the ongoing support of pursuing your passion and education." She also added that teaching was always a love of hers, but "being Amy Farrah Fowler makes that difficult."
The cast of "The Big Bang Theory" just got back to the set last week, and Bialik said, "I say it's kind of like coming back that first day of senior year where you're like, 'Yay, here we are,' but I think even more so because we spend a lot of time together. It's not like we have a couple classes together; we're together all the time ... It feels really good to be back."
Sadly for Bialik and the show's fans, it turns out that the time on set truly is like senior year as the show sunsets. However, the actress and her colleagues have promised fans that the series will end with "a bang," as Bialik's co-star Kaley Cuoco said.