Jim Parsons opens up about ending of 'The Big Bang Theory'

The popular American sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory', which made history as TV's longest-running show, ended last month.

Actor Jim Parsons just stepped away from a 12-year commitment but seems like it was simply time for him to move on from his character of Sheldon Cooper.

"I played the s--t out of that character, and some people could have done it longer probably. I don't mean our show, but (there's) this relationship with the character," Parsons said in an interview with Variety.

"But I feel like we really wrung that material for what it was," he added.

12 years is a really long time to do any job, but particularly playing the same character in the entertainment industry can be exhausting after a point of time.

"No matter how successful you are even if you're a huge success in movies, you don't get to check into the same parking space for 12 years. This is not how someone in a creative profession normally gets to behave. Most human beings crave that structure, so I can see how it causes some hurricanes in the heart," he said.

Now that the show is over, Parsons and his husband Todd Spiewak have moved from Los Angeles to New York.

Parsons is soon going to reprise his role in Broadway's 'The Boys in the Band' in a Netflix adaptation of the show, produced by Ryan Murphy.

'The Boys in the Band' is about a group of homosexual men coming together for a birthday party and was groundbreaking when it made its debut in 1968 for its portrayal of the gay life.

The 46-year-old actor starred in the 50th-anniversary revival in 2018.

He came out publicly in 2012 after meeting Spiewak, five years into 'The Big Bang Theory'. He said pride parades had previously "frightened" him, but accepting his sexuality changed that.

Earlier this year, Parsons talked to The Hollywood Reporter about leaving the show and said there was no major factor in his decision to quit.

"It was the first time in my life of doing this show that it occurred to me that I might want to not do another contract after 12 was up," Parsons said.

"I don't know if it's because I'm an Aries or just because maybe I'm in touch with myself. Whatever it is, once I had that thought, I was like, well, that's your answer," he added.

The final episode of the show aired on May 16 and found Sheldon and Amy (Mayim Bialik) finally winning a Nobel Prize.

Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, the show premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007. In March 2017, the series was renewed for two additional seasons, bringing its total to twelve.

The show originally centred around the lives of socially awkward physicists Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, who take a wild turn when the beautiful and free-spirited Penny moves in next door.

The series also starred Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, and Melissa Rauch. It has earned 52 Emmy nominations and 10 wins during its run.