Lance Barber and the cast of CBS‘s hit comedy “Young Sheldon” got together at PaleyFest 2024 to celebrate the success of the series now in its 7th and final season. Moderated by Peterman, the audience was treated to a fun Q&A panel, stories of onset experiences and got a sneak peek at this week’s upcoming episode.
Phyllis Thomas of TVMusic Network was on the Red Carpet before the event and talked to the cast about the series end, what they will miss about the show and also to get their thoughts on the spin-off series featuring Georgie and Mandy.
Check out our conversation with series star Lance Barber. The actor shares his favorite moments on the show and working with the talented cast. “Young Sheldon” airs Thursdays on CBS. The finale episode of the series will air May 16 for special back-to-back episodes.
TVMusic Network: Congratulations on the series, the success of it. It’s so hard to have a series to last so long, to have that kind of life. You guys managed more than 100 episodes over seven years. How does it feel to be on the show that’s for around that long?
Lance Barber: It feels amazing. It feels like it was like a dream come true, quite literally. To actually have a job for that long.
TVMusic Network: Exactly
Lance Barber: To know you’re going to work tomorrow. It’s incredible. The best experience I ever had. Here I go. For it to be successful. To be with people I like…it’s special to me.
TVMusic Network: George grew as a character over the course of the series and how did that help you as an actor with all the stuff that you had to play?
Lance Barber: You know I’d love the way that we got to explore this family and explore his character beyond what we knew of him as a punchline on a different show. George was used as a line for Sheldon of course and reasonably so. Like everybody in Sheldon’s family, we got to explore and see them first as people. That just opened up the world to so much nuance and new fun actor stuff to do to figure it out and play with writers. That was a joy to get to play and to have surprises along the way. And to change the mind about preconceptions of what people thought of his character. A cool journey to be a part of it as an actor.
TVMusic Network: That’s awesome! Do you feel like you had those three kids because they are a handful sometimes as characters?
Lance Barber: They’re a handful, yeah. I have two at home of my own and I would go to work and have three there. There’s no escaping with time spent, and the age of the kids, the dynamic set on stage. There’s a parental stage going on. We definitely have a relationship. A familial relationship with all of us. Just the time spent together such emotional stuff going on. Personally, professionally in this experience.
TVMusic Network: That’s great. Do you have a favorite moment from the show… either a storyline or a moment favorite moment?
Lance Barber: I think that my favorite stuff is when I got to work with…I could just think of dynamics with each of my fellow actors. The George and Meemaw stuff was always good. That classic father vs in-law thing was so much fun to play with the wonderful Annie Potts. Everything I got to do with Mary and working the struggles of a marriage. That was so much fun stuff to do. Regarding the kids, those stand out because they were special. I had a special relationship with which kid. We got to see those kind of tender moments, certainly with the father-daughter relationship. The stuff I got to do with Raegan and Missy.
TVMusic Network: That was my favorite moment.
Lance Barber: I get a lot of feedback from that. We hear a lot about the Red Lobster episode, and that dynamic and teaching her to play baseball, all that stuff.
TVMusic Network: Teaching her how to drive…that was my favorite one.
Lance Barber: It was extra special to get to do that with Missy.
TVMusic: It’s great. I can’t remember if I asked you, I apologize. Was there anything from the set that you took as a souvenir or a memento?
Lance Barber: Yes, but I’m not going to say what. I stole, it.
TVMusic Network: Oh good.
Lance Barber: There is something I want from the set. I can see what it is. I hope I can take it with no problem. It’s in George and Mary’s bedroom, There’s one of those acrylic picture cubes. It was very, very popular back in my youth. It was a full cube and there was a picture on each side of the cube. Great’s each family member and one of Mary and George and that sits in Mary and George’s bedroom.
TVMusic Network: Lastly, just to get off topic a little bit. Is there any music that you’re listening to?
Lance Barber: There was music I was diving into for the show for the character of George. It was certainly classic country of the 80s, classic rock and roll of his era coming up that he was in and older country music as well for the region. Those are all appropriate I think for the character. I always put some of that stuff on, like 80s George Straight, you know. And then classic 70s rock that George would listen to. Right now, I’m listening to stuff that my kid is listening to. My son is 15 and I pushed my musical influences on him as a child for sure. He is now exploring by himself and I can see some of my musical tastes, my influences coming out. He’s teaching me things. He’s liking things that I like. He’s really into Paul Simon.
TVMusic Network: Did he see the documentary? Paul Simon has one right now.
Lance Barber: He watched it just recently. Yes. And he’s really into a guy named Andrew Byrd and his music. All kinds of stuff that’s out. He’s teaching me things.
TVMusic Network: Oh my God. That’s awesome! Congratulations on the success of the series. It was very nice to talk to you.
Lance Barber: Thank you. Bye, Bye.
