Age: 36
Character: Annoyingly nerdy theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper on CBS’ The Big Bang Theory.
Shock and aww: “Every once in a while [fellow Emmy nominee and CBS star Charlie Sheen] will drop by and watch a run-through, and it’s just so jarring, because he’s a face and a name I’ve seen all my life. So when he walks in and goes, ‘Really nice work today,’ I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! That’s Charlie Sheen saying that!’¿”
Resemblance to things past: “When I started acting, I was compared more than once to Don Knotts. I don’t know if it was meant in a nice way, but I really love Don Knotts. There’s definitely a little Don Knotts floating around in my subconscious, along with a touch of Lily Tomlin’s Ernestine, and even Pee-wee Herman.”
Geek worship: “They played a clip reel of our show at Comic-Con last year, and I suddenly realized, we’re the guys who go to Comic-Con! They showed Leonard grabbing his lightsaber when he thought someone had broken into the house, and I thought, who’s going to have that by their beds except the guys who go to Comic-Con?”
Naked insecurities: “When I get in clothes that are expensive and good-looking, I feel like I don’t look good enough to be wearing them. I wear crap I got four years ago at Forever 21. I’ll see a T-shirt on sale at the Gap and buy 15 in the same color and wear them till the moths eat them.”
Z Zegna leather sweater jacket, $995, zegna.com; Alternative Earth V-neck, $35, alternativeapparel.com; Levi’s 511 Skinny Jeans, $68, levi.com