When Chuck Lorre decided to bring back the actress for The Big Bang Theory, she had a lot more experience than her days on Two and a Half Men.
Throughout the history of The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, both shows had brought in several guest stars and reliable supporting characters. Some were more nervous than other, in fact, Marin Hinkle wasn’t comfortable with her Judith character on Two and a Half Men given how different it was to herself in real-life.
In the following, we’ll reveal which actress Chuck Lorre decided to use on both shows. This particular guest star appeared on Two and a Half Men first, despite her lack of experience in Hollywood at the time. She was much more established once she joined The Big Bang Theory and in 2019, she would take on a career-changing role in Doom Patrol, appearing as a regular and getting lots of praise for her involvement. Let’s find out who this person is, and what her experience was like on the major sitcoms.
April Bowlby Landed Her Role On Two And A Half Men Within Months Of Entering Hollywood
Nowadays, April Bowlby is a veteran in Hollywood having appeared in numerous film and TV productions. The actress is currently 43, with an established resume. However, the actress was fortunate at the start, and it didn’t take long for her to land a major gig. This doesn’t’ always hold true for everyone, take the biggest star of The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons. It took the actor years to establish himself in Hollywood, and he finally found major success on The Big Bang Theory later in his career.
As for Bowlby, well her audition for Two and a Half Men took place only months after her move to Hollywood. She discussed the memorable moment.
“It was very exciting, let me tell ya. I was very nervous but, luckily, when you’re just starting out, and if you have a good team – which I did, you go on all sorts of auditions and you just hope you’re booked for a role. It was like a numbers game but with Kandi, the character really worked for me,” the actress tells Cream Magazine.
As expected, April had a great time on the series and described it as a “well oiled machine” during her stint on the series, which by most fans is regarded as the show’s prime.
“When we chatted [off-camera], he was actually laidback with a very dry, raw sense of humour. He and Jon Cryer were very charismatic with each other. The show was at its peak when I entered the picture; a well-oiled machine with everyone getting along,” she said in the same interview.
It turns out that despite her lack of experience, Chuck Lorre was very much into the star’s talents, and she would return to a Chuck Lorre show years later for The Big Bang Theory.
Chuck Lorre Reused April Bowlby On The Big Bang Theory, Playing The Role Of Rebecca
This time around, things were very different for the actress. Bowlby was well-established in Hollywood, taking on various gigs since Two and a Half Men. In 2017, she would make a pit-stop alongside Chuck Lorre once again. The actress appeared on The Big Bang Theory, taking on the role of Rebecca during the episode, The Separation Agitation.
Her character was in a relationship with Bert, aka Brian Posehn. Certainly a different scenario compared to her time with Jon Cryer on Two and a Half Men.
Bowlby didn’t say much about her time on the show, though she did reveal that it is enjoyable to change roles and take on characters that are completely different. That certainly held true throughout her career.
April Bowlby Went On To Enjoy Major Success As A Regular On Doom Patrol
Bowlby’s biggest role came in 2019 on the TV series, Doom Patrol. The actress became a regular on the TV series, playing the role of Rita Farr for 40 episodes, between 2019 up until 2023. She received major praise for her time on the show. She spoke about her experience with the character alongside Awards Radar.
“An actress playing an actress. It’s fantastic, because everything you get to do is exaggerated, and for performance, so there’s no overacting, which I really enjoy. You can go as big as you want, because she’s an actress, and that’s what we do. But of course she would go to her own retrospective, which is so funny, because the townies are not a fan of her, but she does not believe that anyone could not be a fan of herself.”
It remains to be seen what is next for the actress. At the moment, it doesn’t appear as though there are any upcoming projects, but that is sure to change in the near future.
