‘Big Bang Theory’s’ Johnny Galecki Still Has ‘High School Crush’ On ‘Roseanne’ Character

No one forgets his high school crush.

And for actor Johnny Galecki, that high school crush is himself, or a character he originated when he was 16.

Galecki was a high school student when he started working on the original run of the hit TV series, Roseanne. He played a supporting character, David Healy, from 1992-97. The series was canceled after a successful run from 1988-97, but was rebooted this year, as is the recent trend in television programming.

Galecki was asked to reprise his character in a new episode.

He told People magazine that being on the reconstructed set was the “most surreal experience I’ve ever had. I was excited to see everyone in the same room again but what I wasn’t expecting was walking onto that set again, which the designers recreated to a T.”

Regarding his crush, he told People he felt “great relief in the fact that this character, 21 years later, was still dormant and resurfaced almost immediately. It’s kind of creepy, those characters they reside in you for a long, long time.”

In his adult years, Galecki has found enormous success playing the geeky Leonard Hofstadter on CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. The show continues a successful run that started in 2006.

With Roseanne being on ABC, a rival network of CBS, having his character recur regularly may take some finessing. Galecki also told People, “It’s a lot of scheduling and a little bit of politics because it’s two networks but everyone has been supportive. I most probably would not be on Big Bang if it wasn’t for Roseanne. And they understand the emotional attachment and this high school crush that I still have on this character.”

The Roseanne reboot was mostly met with critical success. For the most part, reviews were favorable. However, the new version is not without controversy. Roseanne Barr’s character is a supporter of President Trump and is not afraid to say so. This is quite a departure from what many call “liberal Hollywood.”

While on a late-night talk show, Barr got into a brief confrontation with the host regarding her conservative point of view.

It appears, though, that the fans love the new show. They love it enough for ABC to renew it for a second season a week after its premiere, thanks to enormous ratings.

According to IMDB.com, Galecki was nominated for a Young Artist Award for three years in a row, starting in 1993, with wins in 1994 and 1995, all for his work on Roseanne. He also won a TV Land Innovator Award (along with the rest of the Roseanne cast) in 2008.