Iain Armitage's face was plastered on every bus, cab, and billboard in the lead-up to
the CBS premiere of Young Sheldon in September 2017.
The prequel to The Big Bang Theory is the origin story of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, the lovable
yet socially inept genius famously portrayed by actor Jim Parsons.
Nearly 17 million viewers tuned in to the highly anticipated Sheldon pilot, making it
the biggest comedy premiere in four years.
While you may not know Armitage by name, you know you've seen him before, right?
Let's find out why the star of Young Sheldon looks so familiar.
World's nicest critic
Armitage's first entrance into the public eye came at just four years old with his surprising
turn as a theatre critic.
With the help of his parents, Armitage runs the vlog Iain Loves Theatre.
He told Show Tickets that the vlog began in 2011 when he shared his thoughts on a regional
production of Hairspray.
"I just loved it...Then I just started my reviews.
I said, 'I'm going to keep on doing this for every show.'"
The young critic's reviews are typically positive, and he's covered some of the biggest Broadway
shows, including Dear Evan Hansen, Fun Home, and, of course, Hamilton.
"It is one of the most tremendous, amazing, fantastic, better than fantastic shows ever!"
Red carpet regular
Not only did the Iain Loves Theatre vlog score him an agent, it also attracted the attention
of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
In 2015, Hilton hired Armitage to cover the Tony Awards' red carpet — a role he reprised
in 2016 and 2017.
Hilton told the New York Post,
"I saw the reaction he would get from people, and the reaction he would get from the Broadway
community.
He loves the shows, and they love him.
I feel like a proud uncle watching him flourish now."
By June 2017, Armitage proved himself to be an old pro on the job when he tweeted a photo
of himself from the red carpet, proudly captioned "Ready!"
Tap your heart out
In May 2016, Armitage's vlog had become so popular he was invited to appear on Little
Big Shots, and his charming interview went viral — collecting more than 2 million views
on YouTube.
At one point in the interview, Steve Harvey confessed to not understanding the allure
of musical theatre, saying,
"And then some dude just busts out singing', and I just don't know how to handle that."
Not surprisingly, Armitage had the perfect response.
"You know, it's just like when I start busting out tapping."
As the hilarious appearance went on, Armitage requested to switch roles with Harvey.
"And now for my next guest, Mr. Steve Harvey!"
Watching a kid out-interview a veteran in the entertainment industry is seriously a
must-see — if you think you can handle all the cuteness.
The small screen
Armitage won over millions of viewers as Ziggy on HBO's Emmy-winning mini-series Big Little
Lies in early 2017.
Led by a brilliant ensemble cast, including stars Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman,
Armitage's emotionally nuanced performance made him a stand-out among big league talents.
Casting director David Rubin told the New York Post,
"I wasn't prepared for Iain's ability to behave so truthfully while saying lines that were
scripted for a character...He's a natural born actor, with the bonus of being influenced
by all those great performances he's been lucky enough to witness on the New York stage."
The big screen
With a prosperous television career already under his belt by age 9, Armitage made his
big screen debut in 2017 — three times over.
The child star portrayed Youngest Brian in the Brie Larson-led family drama The Glass
Castle.
Armitage also appears in I'm Not Here, starring J.K. Simmons and Sebastian Stan.
But the young thespian was most excited about his work on Our Souls at Night, a Netflix
film produced by and starring Jane Fonda, who plays his grandmother.
Armitage told The New York Times, "I get so happy just saying her name."
When Entertainment Tonight jokingly asked if he only works with Oscar winners and big-time
actors, Armitage responded,
"Um, yeah, it's actually on page 29, subsection B. No, I'm just kidding."
In regards to how much he's already accomplished in his career, Armitage said,
"I've just gotten really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really lucky."
Nailed it
Young Sheldon producers Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro, and Parsons were all absolutely floored
by Armitage's audition tape.
"We laughed.
We watched it and we went 'this is funny, it's intriguing."
He was clearly a remarkable talent."
Parsons told Entertainment Tonight that of the many tapes they saw, Iain's was "mind-blowing."
When Armitage accused Parsons of just being kind, he insisted,
"I am not kind.
I'm a nice person but I'm not kind when it comes to those things.
I would just not say anything if I didn't like it."
Well, "old" Sheldon has spoken.
"Ohh, thank you."
"It's true."
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