One of the more exciting casting choices in the "Young Sheldon" (a show partially inspired by Jim Parsons) was the decision to cast Zoe Perry as Mary, Sheldon's strict, loving, religious mother. The role in The Big Bang Theory, which takes place in Sheldon's adulthood, went to Laurie Metcalf, an award-winning celebrity actress who is also Perry's real-life mother. It's a casting choice that makes a lot of sense (not only are the women related, but they share many of the same mannerisms), though it also becomes a bit awkward when you consider the current discourse surrounding nepotism in Hollywood. When asked in a 2017 interview with The Hollywood Reporter on how she felt about landing the role at least in part because she's the daughter of such a famous performer, Perry offered her thoughts:

"I don't think there's any way to deny that because, why would you?" , but generally when I'm acting, if I come across something that inadvertently or unconsciously reminds me of one of my parents, I'm grateful for that because I respect them so much. They did, I know if something sticks out or sounds like them, I've hit something good."

Owning the advantage you have (vs. denying non-baby status) is probably the best answer an actor can give in a situation like this; at least, it's far better than pretending that someone without your last name has the same chance of landing your role as you do. In a 2020 Backstage interviewPerry again made light of complaints of nepotism, stating, "I can't deny that it's a great privilege to have parents who are established in the field that I do. I try to appreciate the fact that they are so great at They were great role models not only in terms of talent, but also in the way they lead their lives and the reasons why they pursue it."

Perry also noted that while she had an advantage thanks to her mother, she still never treated the gig as a sure thing during the audition. "I didn't want to get my hopes up because you never know how things are going to shake out," she explained. "I didn't put too much stock in the idea that this could be a slam dunk because you never know." Even when something seems to make sense on the page, there are always things you're not aware of."

Of course, this wasn't the first time Perry was cast as a younger version of one of her mother's characters. In the 90s, she also starred as a young Jackie Harris in two episodes of Roseanne. These were her first acting credits, although she did not begin acting seriously until more than a decade later. In a 2017 interview with PeopleMetcalfe explained that she thought Perry had caught the "acting bug" on the set of "Roseanne," but "didn't think it would be a good idea for a kid that young." When Metcalfe took up acting, she did so with a full grown-up understanding of what such a career would entail.

When it came to "Young Sheldon," Metcalf was supportive of her daughter taking over her role, though she jokingly suggested at a panel at the 2024 Calgary Expo (via Collider) that "Young Sheldon" was supposed to have a "confrontation" between the two versions of the character. ("Definitely — I played with Zoe once (...) Maybe we should go up against Mary Cooper, and people could (vote) who's the better Mary Cooper," she said.) "Young Sheldon" never did such a thing, though in the final episodes of season 7 (after George the Elder died tragically), you can start to see Perry's Mary Cooper turning into the slightly colder, more religious version of Mary Cooper that Metcalf portrayed. The two versions literally did not meet, but towards the end they started to collide a bit.