Erm, the actresses who play Mary in Young Sheldon & Big Bang Theory are actually related?!

They say acting runs in the family but it seems the actresses for Mary in Young Sheldon and Big Bang Theory took it one step further as they’re actually closely related. And not just in a second cousin kind of way but in an actual mother and daughter related way. Laurie Metcalfe played the role of Mary Cooper in Big Bang Theory before her daughter Zoe Perry auditioned for the role of Mary in Young Sheldon and successfully got the part.

While she insists she didn’t get the audition because of nepotism, Zoe admits knowing her mother’s mannerisms on the show and being able to easily imitate them helped her in the audition process. And it turns out it’s not even the actress’s first time playing a younger version of her mother’s character either, so she’s a dab hand at it.

Via Channel 4

Chuck Lorre who produced both Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon was familiar with both of the actress’s work as Zoe previously played her mother’s character during flashbacks on Roseanne, which he also produced. Zoe’s mother encouraged her to audition for the role of Mary in Young Sheldon and she made a point of watching her mother’s episodes on Big Bang Theory in order to “carve out an original Mary but one that is grounded in what my mom did.”

Via Channel 4

As for how she felt about playing an already loved younger version of a character, Zoe admitted: “I guess there’s no pressure. It’s a gigantic and wonderful show. And with that comes some stakes, so hopefully, I live up to that. I had to audition like everybody else. I didn’t go in there thinking, ‘I’ve got this.’ I always think, ‘Wouldn’t that be nice but probably won’t happen.’ Which is frankly how I went into this one. So it’s pretty marvellous that I have the opportunity.”