Actress Mayim Bialik plays the brilliant, but emotionally stunted scientist Dr. Amy Fowler on CBS's big giant smash sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In person, though, Bialik is charming, personable, and extremely prone to smiles. But she does share one very unique trait with her fictional version: a Ph.D.
In between her stints as the titular quirky teen on the hit 90s sitcom Blossom, Bialik pursued a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Why would someone who just finished working on a hit broadcast TV sitcom shelve a budding (and surely lucrative) acting career for academic pursuits?
"It wasn't a financial decision, it was more of an intellectual one," Bialik explained when she stopped by PCMag's offices to shoot an episode of our Q+A interview series/podcast, The Convo.
"I wanted to be appreciated for what was inside my brain. I was never terribly comfortable with fame—I was on Blossom from when I was 14 to 19. But three of my four grandparents were immigrants, so I was raised with a strong immigrant value of going to college and wringing the most out of the opportunities you have."
After receiving her doctorate, Bialik did return to acting, eventually landing a role on The Big Bang Theory. The show centers on a group of aspiring scientists who are big on book smarts, but not so much on common sense. This familiar portrayal of the social acumen of scientists has understandably been known to irk those in academic circles.
"A lot of people do say that we perpetuate the stereotype of nerds and geeks. To be quite honest, I know a lot of people who are like these characters. My character Amy is based on a couple of female professors I had and felt a tremendous fondness for," Bialik said. "Also, I happen to find charismatic and charming a lot of things that mainstream society does not. So I tend to gravitate towards nerds and geeks."
Personally, as someone who interviews a lot of scientists and academics, I've found the socially awkward stereotype to be apt in many cases. But just as with the general population, there is a wide range of personalities, and I've encountered nearly as many who were reflexively confident and personable.
Currently, the cast of Big Bang is under contract for another two seasons, but since no non-animated sitcom is destined to run forever, might Bialik's post-Bang plans include a return to academia?
"I've been on Big Bang Theory for seven years, so it's been a while since I've taught neuroscience. I do teach a moderated neuroscience course for my sons who are 8 and 11. Once you've had this sort of public presence, you can't go back to teaching in a college setting or something."
I pointed out that noted academia-loving actor James Franco has managed to teach a college class at the height of his fame. "I think it might be distracting. Also, I think being a woman in science and already having a little bit of a challenge as women do—historically—of being equally represented and respected in these fields, it might make it extra difficult to walk off of a TV screen and into a lecture hall."
The rest of the conversation delves into her new book Girling Up, which makes science accessible to tween and teen girls; her lifestyle site Grok Nation; going to battle with trolls online; overcoming anxiety; and her love of top-shelf Scotch. Watch in the video above or listen below.
The Convo is PCMag's interview series hosted by features editor Evan Dashevsky (@haldash). Each episode is broadcast live on PCMag's Facebook page, where viewers are invited to ask guests questions in the comments. Each episode is posted on our YouTube page and available as an audio podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes or the podcast platform of your choice.