他生在一個(gè)普通的家庭，沒有顯赫的家世。他與許多演員一樣，參加過無數(shù)次試鏡，跑過各種龍?zhí)?。到了三十而立的年紀(jì)，他仍舊是一個(gè)無名小卒。直到“謝耳朵”的誕生，已經(jīng)34歲的他才被世人熟知。很多人都不敢相信，這位有著一張娃娃臉的搞笑怪咖如今已經(jīng)年過四旬。對(duì)許多人來說，謝耳朵或許比吉姆·帕森斯這個(gè)名字更出名。誠(chéng)然，謝耳朵一角成就了吉姆·帕森斯的今天。但誰又能保證，沒有吉姆·帕森斯，謝耳朵還會(huì)是那個(gè)招人煩又惹人愛的謝耳朵？歲月，沒有在他的臉上留下蒼老的痕跡。年齡，也未曾阻止他繼續(xù)前行的腳步。未來，相信會(huì)給他一個(gè)更璀璨多彩的世界。

It's the morning after the night before1）. Zach Braff2） has the word \"BALLS\" inked3） on his forehead. Peter Sarsgaard is bare-chested. And a little-known Jim Parsons is dressed in a knight's armour， eating a bowl of Lucky Charms4）. The film is Garden State. Braff's directorial debut5） from 2004. Appearing in just one scene， Parsons is a party guest—arriving straight from work at a medieval themed restaurant. Oh， and he speaks Klingon6）.

\"I loved that scene. It was just right up my alley7），\" smiles Parsons. \"Ten years later I look back and go， 'That was the most spoiling experience for a start-up movie you could have！'\" More to the point， a decade on， Parsons has become one of America's most beloved sitcom8） stars， playing Dr. Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory—a Caltech theoretical physicist with an eidetic9） memory， an IQ of 187， and an ability to speak Klingon at will10）.

With the show about to start its eighth season in the autumn， it's already seen Parsons win a Golden Globe and four Emmys， turning him into one of the highest paid comedy stars of his generation. But it's about more than just trinkets11） and trophies， thanks to Parsons' affectionate portrayal of a super-nerd who loves DC Comics， Battlestar Galactica and action figures.

In an era when superheroes and sci-fi dominate the box office， the popularity of The Big Bang Theory proves that Sheldon and his flatmates are not quite the social outcasts they were styled as when the show started back in 2007. They're the Friends for our generation.

Now， Parsons is back in Braff's second film as director， thirtysomething12） dramedy13） Wish I Was Here. In the story， Braff plays Aidan， a struggling actor whose life collapses when his father announces he has cancer. Parsons is Paul， a fellow actor who meets Aidan at the ritualistic14） humiliation that is the audition process—something Parsons， like all actors， knows only too well.

\"It resonated very strongly，\" he nods， \"and I think it was very evident that this was a scene written by an actor； that entire waiting room scene—waiting to go in， and sitting beside your competition， is something that you are either born comfortable with or learn to be comfortable with very early on ... or you have to get out of the career！ Hearing somebody murmuring the lines under their breath， saying the words you're going to have to say ... It's a very interesting experience.\"

Raised in Houston， the son of an elementary school teacher and the president of a local plumbing15） company， Parsons determined to become an actor at the age of six—when he played a bird in a school production of Kipling's16） The Elephant's Child. Still， his love of acting \"ebbed17） and flowed\" during his school years. He even briefly toyed with18） the idea of being a weatherman， taking a year away from acting in college as he learned storm fronts19）.

Yet being a weatherman was not to be； he failed the course and realised he had to return to acting—or he'd regret it. \"I had a vision of becoming a bitter， middle-aged man！\" But how to go about it？ Working for an experimental theatre company in Houston， he was making ends meet20） in day jobs \"to support my acting habit\"—but there weren't enough full-time opportunities. \"I was never brave enough to throw my knapsack on my back and head to New York or even L.A.\"

Eventually， he took a master's in classical theatre at the University of San Diego before he headed to New York—a world of off-Broadway plays， commercials， TV bit parts21）， and those endless rounds of auditions. He can still remember the horror-shows—accidentally knocking out the power switch while trying out for a Martin McDonagh play—but he's never been fearful. \"The one way I always feel about auditions， or certainly try to， is a mantra22） of： 'This could be my one chance to play this role.'\"

In the case of The Big Bang Theory， Parsons aced it23） so convincingly that co-creator Chuck Lorre asked him to return the next day to ensure it wasn't a fluke24）. He admits there was something in Sheldon he understood： the inability to read sarcasm or emotions. He sighs when asked if he shares any of Sheldon's more nerdy behavioural tropes25）. \"Oh God ... I'm sure I'm nerdy in some ways， but more than being nerdy， I'm old！\" Now 41， he likes to go to bed early. \"As far as partying and going out goes， I don't even have the remotest desire！\"

Actually， Parsons is far less socially awkward than Sheldon. He talks freely， eruditely26）， and in detail—everything from his recent trip to Wimbledon， supporting his \"e-mail buddy\"， Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard， to his magnificent cameo27） in The Muppets， playing the piano during the performance of \"Man or Muppet\".

Yet he clearly adores Sheldon， a character that fits him as closely as his Green Lantern T-shirt. \"One of the questions people love to ask is 'What do you want for Sheldon？' I have no wants for him. I open the script every week and， yeah， sure some episodes are more interesting to me than others， but as an overall character arc28）， I have never felt like I'm tired of playing the same thing.\"

Calling himself \"a sucker29）\"， he's already preparing for the maelstrom30） of emotions that will surface when the show finishes. \"It's hard to imagine， knowing the end is coming and letting it come and feeling ... certainly not a sense of remorse ... I don't know if lose is the right word either. Organic death？ That's the best way I can put it， if things go well！ That's what it will be. For something that has already affected my life to a huge degree. I may have a life outside of the show， but this has had an enormous impact upon me either way. And that will be sad.\"

The question is： how do you escape a character like Sheldon？ Even Braff's film contains an oblique31） nod—when Paul winds up trying out for just the sort of sci-fi Sheldon would love. So he's not worried about typecasting32）？ \"Yes and no，\" he says， cautiously. \"I'm not looking to play another scientist， or genius or even probably another Star Trek fanatic33） at this point. That being said， I was charmed by the idea of playing somebody [in Wish I Was Here] who was dabbling in34） those things in a different way.\"

It helps that he's been getting strong word for his turn in The Normal Heart， Glee creator Ryan Murphy's television film based on Larry Kramer's play about the HIV/AIDS crisis in early 1980s New York. Playing opposite Julia Roberts and Mark Ruffalo， Parsons reprised35） the character of Tommy—one of the founders of an AIDS crisis organisation and a role he played in a 2011 production of the play that marked his Broadway debut.

\"To me at least that proves the point I had to make to myself all along—just keep moving and find the people who don't need convincing， like in this case Larry Kramer and Ryan Murphy， who felt I could do it， and strongly so. And that's what you do—you ride with the people who believe in you. So if there is anything to work out， and shake36） a little bit， from a character [like Sheldon]， that's the only way to do it. Or maybe go and live in a cave for 20 years and come back looking completely different—with plastic surgery37）.\"

That won't be necessary， with Parsons' movie career beginning to ramp up38）—from voicing an alien in DreamWorks' forthcoming animation Home to a role in Visions， a horror about a pregnant woman suffering from extreme hallucinations39）. Parsons seems delighted at this sudden array of very un-Sheldon like roles. \"There are a lot of different characters to play and a lot of different shoes to walk in. And in all aspects of the industry.\"

Does this mean he feels like following Braff into directing？ There's a pause. \"It's not that I would say 'no'. But I'm 41 now， and I have yet to reach a part of my life where the acting hasn't made me feel completely satisfied， with whatever this is that I'm doing on this Earth ... it has made me feel very happy. I don't know if this is because I have a lot of other aspects of my life to go along with it， and that's very fortunate ... I don't know.\" And for once40）， he's lost for words.

一夜痛飲，清晨酒醒。扎克.布拉夫的額頭涂著“舞會(huì)”兩字，彼得.薩斯加德（編注：美國(guó)著名男演員）光著膀子，彼時(shí)尚無名氣的吉姆.帕森斯穿著一副騎士盔甲，吃著一碗“喜福匯”。這一場(chǎng)景出自布拉夫2004年的導(dǎo)演處女作——電影《情歸新澤西》。帕森斯只在這一幕露了個(gè)臉，飾演一位從一家中世紀(jì)主題餐廳剛下班就直接來赴宴的客人。對(duì)了，他還說著克林貢語。

“這一幕正合我意，我當(dāng)時(shí)很喜歡，”帕森斯笑著說，“十年后回頭再看，我會(huì)說‘對(duì)一部處女作電影而言，再?zèng)]有比這更讓人受寵若驚的經(jīng)歷了！’”更重要的是，十年后的帕森斯已經(jīng)成為美國(guó)觀眾最喜愛的情景喜劇明星之一，飾演《生活大爆炸》里的謝爾頓.庫珀博士（編注：常被稱為“謝耳朵”）——加州理工學(xué)院的一位理論物理學(xué)家，博聞強(qiáng)識(shí)，智商187，能說一口流利的克林貢語。

《生活大爆炸》第八季將于今年秋天開播（編注：本文發(fā)表于2014年9月初），這部劇使帕森斯贏得一次金球獎(jiǎng)和四次艾美獎(jiǎng)，使其躋身同代人中片酬最高的喜劇明星之列。然而，《生活大爆炸》的成功遠(yuǎn)不止斬獲了大大小小的獎(jiǎng)杯，而這多虧了帕森斯傾心演繹出了一位喜愛DC漫畫、動(dòng)畫片《太空堡壘卡拉狄加》和動(dòng)作玩偶的超級(jí)書呆子。

在超級(jí)英雄和科幻類電影雄霸票房的時(shí)代，《生活大爆炸》的備受追捧證明謝爾頓及其那些室友并不完全是該劇在2007年開播之初所塑造的社會(huì)另類。他們是我們這代人的《老友記》式的偶像。

目前，帕森斯再次歸來，出現(xiàn)在布拉夫執(zhí)導(dǎo)的第二部電影《心在彼處》中。這部情景喜劇圍繞一位已過而立之年的人物展開。布拉夫在片中飾演一位名叫艾丹的演員，在他的父親聲稱自己罹患癌癥后，艾丹生活陷入困境，苦苦掙扎度日。帕森斯飾演的也是一位演員，名叫保羅，在參加試鏡時(shí)結(jié)識(shí)了艾丹。和所有的演員一樣，帕森斯對(duì)于試鏡這一慣常令人倍感羞辱的過程可謂如數(shù)家珍。

“我對(duì)試鏡那場(chǎng)戲深有感觸，”他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭說，“我覺得很明顯這幕戲是一個(gè)演員寫的。對(duì)于整個(gè)等候室的場(chǎng)景，比如等著進(jìn)去試鏡、坐在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手旁等，你要么生來就能坦然應(yīng)對(duì)，要么很早就要學(xué)會(huì)坦然應(yīng)對(duì)……不然的話，你還是趁早退出這行為妙！聽別人低聲念臺(tái)詞、說著你也將必須要說的話……這種經(jīng)歷很有意思?！?/p>

帕森斯在休斯敦長(zhǎng)大，母親是一名小學(xué)教師，父親是當(dāng)?shù)匾患宜O(shè)備公司的總裁。帕森斯六歲就立志要成為一名演員，當(dāng)時(shí)他在改編自吉卜林作品《大象之子》的校園劇中扮演了一只鳥。不過，上學(xué)期間他對(duì)表演的喜愛“時(shí)冷時(shí)熱”，他甚至一度萌生過當(dāng)氣象員的想法——上大學(xué)期間他占用了一年演戲的時(shí)間去學(xué)習(xí)風(fēng)暴鋒面。

然而，當(dāng)氣象員注定不是帕森斯要走的路。他沒能通過那門課程，于是覺得自己還是得走演戲這條路，不然他會(huì)追悔莫及?！拔以O(shè)想過自己將來會(huì)變成一個(gè)苦悶的中年男人！”但怎樣才能圓他的表演夢(mèng)呢？他曾在休斯敦的一個(gè)實(shí)驗(yàn)戲劇劇團(tuán)打雜，每日的工作使他勉強(qiáng)維持生計(jì)，來“支撐我的表演喜好”，但休斯敦并沒有多少成為全職演員的機(jī)會(huì)?！拔耶?dāng)時(shí)根本沒有足夠的勇氣背起背包去紐約闖蕩，甚至連洛杉磯都沒有勇氣去?！?/p>

最終，帕森斯取得了圣迭戈大學(xué)古典戲劇方向的碩士學(xué)位，之后才前往紐約——在那里他演過非百老匯戲劇，拍過廣告，跑過龍?zhí)祝瑓⒓舆^無數(shù)輪試鏡。他仍然記得那些嚇人的表現(xiàn)——參加馬丁.麥克多納（編注：英國(guó)導(dǎo)演）的一部戲的試鏡時(shí)，他不小心碰到電源開關(guān)，導(dǎo)致片場(chǎng)斷電——但他從來沒有膽怯?！皩?duì)于試鏡，我一向懷著或者說努力懷著的唯一念想是：‘試鏡可能是由我來演這個(gè)角色的唯一機(jī)會(huì)?！?/p>

就拿《生活大爆炸》來說，帕森斯當(dāng)時(shí)的表現(xiàn)出類拔萃，令人心服口服，以至于該劇的聯(lián)合制片人查克.洛爾要求他第二天再來試一次鏡，以確保頭次試鏡成功不是純屬僥幸。帕森斯坦言，他能理解謝爾頓的某個(gè)特點(diǎn)：不能識(shí)別他人的嘲諷或情緒。當(dāng)被問及他是否還有其他類似謝爾頓的書呆子表現(xiàn)時(shí)，他嘆氣道：“唉，這個(gè)嘛……我敢肯定，我在某些方面確實(shí)像個(gè)書呆子，但我不僅呆，而且還老！”帕森斯今年已經(jīng)41歲，喜歡早睡?！皩?duì)于聚會(huì)和出游，我現(xiàn)在一點(diǎn)兒也提不起興趣！”

事實(shí)上，帕森斯在待人接物方面遠(yuǎn)比謝爾頓要大方得體。他講起話來輕松自如，旁征博引，不厭其詳——從最近前往溫布爾登（編注：英國(guó)著名的國(guó)際網(wǎng)球比賽場(chǎng)地）支持他的“郵件好友”加拿大網(wǎng)球選手尤金妮亞.布沙爾，一直談到《布偶大電影》里為歌曲“Man or Muppet”的演奏提供鋼琴伴奏的精彩客串。

然而，帕森斯無疑深愛謝爾頓。他演這個(gè)角色正如他穿那件綠燈俠T恤一樣，合適般配。“人們常愛問我的一個(gè)問題是‘你想對(duì)謝爾頓提出什么要求？’我對(duì)他沒有任何要求。我每個(gè)星期都會(huì)打開劇本，沒錯(cuò)，有幾集確實(shí)會(huì)比其他幾集更能引起我的興趣，但從整體人物的發(fā)展變化上來看，我從來沒有覺得自己厭倦了表演相同的東西?！?/p>

帕森斯說自己“入戲太深”，他已經(jīng)在醞釀這部戲劇終之際他將流露的紛亂感情?！昂茈y想象那種感覺。明知結(jié)局正在逼近，卻又只能任其來臨，這種感覺……肯定不是后悔……我也不知道說失落是否恰當(dāng)。曲終人散？這是我能想到的最好的結(jié)語，如果一切進(jìn)展順利的話！一切將會(huì)如此。因?yàn)檫@部戲已經(jīng)深深地影響了我的生活。戲外我可能過著正常的生活，但不管怎樣，這部戲已經(jīng)對(duì)我產(chǎn)生了巨大的影響。而劇終將會(huì)有些令人悲傷?！?/p>

現(xiàn)在擺在帕森斯面前的問題是：怎么才能從像謝爾頓這樣的一個(gè)角色中跳出來？甚至連他參演的布拉夫的電影也隱約帶著謝爾頓的影子——保羅最終選擇參演的科幻片正是謝爾頓會(huì)喜歡的那種。因此，難道他就不擔(dān)心角色定型嗎？“也擔(dān)心，也不擔(dān)心，”他小心翼翼地說，“現(xiàn)在我不想再演另一個(gè)科學(xué)家或是天才，甚至可能還包括另一個(gè)《星際迷航》迷戀狂。但話又說回來，我倒樂于演[《心在彼處》里的]一個(gè)能將這些人物糅雜起來的花樣翻新的角色。”

帕森斯在電視電影（編注：只在電視上播放的電影）《平常的心》里的表演廣受好評(píng)，這對(duì)他大有幫助?！镀匠５男摹酚伞稓g樂合唱團(tuán)》的制片人瑞安.墨菲出品，改編自拉里.克雷默寫的劇本，講述了20世紀(jì)80年代早期紐約爆發(fā)的那場(chǎng)艾滋病疫情。在該片中，帕森斯跟朱莉婭.羅伯茨（編注：美國(guó)知名女星）和馬克.魯法洛（編注：美國(guó)著名男演員）演對(duì)手戲，重新演繹了湯米一角——一家艾滋病疫情防控組織的創(chuàng)立者之一。2011年，帕森斯曾在自己的百老匯處女作中演過這個(gè)角色。

“對(duì)我來說，至少這可以證明我一直堅(jiān)持的一點(diǎn)——只管不斷前行，去找到那些相信自己的人。就拿這部片子來說，拉里.克雷默和瑞安.墨菲都覺得我能演好，而且對(duì)此深信不疑。這才是你要做的——跟那些相信自己的人共事。因此如果要放下過去，并能稍稍擺脫一個(gè)[像謝爾頓一樣的]角色，這是唯一可行的方法。要不然可能就得找個(gè)山洞隱居20年，做一通整形手術(shù)換副模樣再回來?！?/p>

帕森斯大可不必如此。他的電影生涯已經(jīng)開始起步——從給夢(mèng)工廠即將推出的動(dòng)畫片《家園》里的一個(gè)外星人配音，到出演恐怖片《幻覺》（講述的是一位孕婦遭受極端幻覺折磨的故事）里的一個(gè)角色。帕森斯似乎很喜歡這一系列突如其來的非謝爾頓型的角色。“還有很多不同的角色可以去演，有很多不同的經(jīng)歷可以去嘗試。這一行里的方方面面都可以去試試?！?/p>

這是不是說帕森斯想要步布拉夫的后塵去當(dāng)導(dǎo)演？帕森斯停頓片刻后說：“這并不是說我會(huì)說‘不’。但我今年已經(jīng)41了，而且我還沒有進(jìn)入不完全滿足于演戲的人生階段，不論是演什么角色……演戲讓我感到很開心。我不知道這是不是因?yàn)槌輵蛑馕业纳钸€有很多其他事情可做，這是非常幸運(yùn)的……我不知道。”僅此一次，他不知道該說些什么了。

1.the morning after the night before： 宿醉后的清晨

2.Zach Braff： 扎克.布拉夫（1975～），美國(guó)演員，在電影《情歸新澤西》中身兼編劇、導(dǎo)演及主演。

3.ink [??k] vt. 用墨水（或油墨）做標(biāo)記于

4.Lucky Charms： 喜福匯，由美國(guó)通用磨坊公司生產(chǎn)的一種谷類食品

5.debut [?de?bju?] n. 首次登臺(tái)；初次露面

6.Klingon： 克林貢語，電影《星際迷航》（Star Trek）中的外星人語言

7.be right up sb.'s alley： 是某人所擅長(zhǎng)（或喜愛）的，符合某人胃口的

8.sitcom [?s?tk?m] n. 情景喜劇

9.eidetic [a?'det?k] adj. （頭腦中的印象）異常清晰的，似在眼前的

10.at will： 任意地，隨意地

11.trinket [?tr??k?t] n. 小裝飾品

12.thirtysomething [?θ??（r）ti?s?mθ??] n. 三十幾歲的人

13.dramedy [?drɑ?m?di] n. （融入現(xiàn)實(shí)戲劇成分的）現(xiàn)實(shí)情景喜劇

14.ritualistic [?r?t?u??l?st?k] adj. （指活動(dòng)或言辭）例行公事般的，公式般的

15.plumbing [?pl?m??] n. 水暖設(shè)備

16.Kipling： 即魯?shù)聛喌?吉卜林（Rudyard Kipling， 1865～1936），英國(guó)小說家、詩人，其代表作有短篇小說《叢林故事》（The Jungle Book）、詩歌《如果》（If—）等。

17.ebb [eb] vi. （潮）退；（潮）落

18.toy with： 不太認(rèn)真地考慮；隨便地對(duì)待

19.front [fr?nt] n. 鋒（指冷熱空氣團(tuán)的交匯線）

20.make ends meet： 勉強(qiáng)維持生計(jì)；使收支相抵

21.bit part： （電影中的）小角色

22.mantra [?m?ntr?] n. 禱文，符咒

23.ace it： <美俚>得滿分；出色完成

24.fluke [flu?k] n. [俗]僥幸；僥幸的成功

25.trope [tr??p] n. 比喻用語詞；辭藻

26.eruditely [?eruda?tli] adv. 博學(xué)地，學(xué)識(shí)豐富地

27.cameo [?k?mi??] n. （名演員在電影或劇目中的）客串角色，小配角

28.character arc： 人物的發(fā)展變化

29.sucker [?s?k?（r）] n. 容易受……影響的人

30.maelstrom [?me?lstr?m] n. （思想、情感的）極度混亂

31.oblique [??bli?k] adj. 拐彎抹角的；不直截了當(dāng)?shù)?/p>

32.typecast [?ta?pkɑ?st] v. 分配（演員）擔(dān)任與其性格和形體相應(yīng)的角色；經(jīng)常分配（演員）扮演同一類型的角色

33.fanatic [f??n?t?k] n. 狂熱者

34.dabble in： 涉獵；淺嘗

35.reprise [r??pri?z] vt. 重演

36.shake [?e?k] vt. 擺脫

37.plastic surgery： 整形手術(shù)

38.ramp up： 提高，增加

39.hallucination [h??lu?s??ne??n] n. 幻覺

40.for once： 僅此一次