Mayim Bialik played Amy Farrah Fowler on  from 2010 to 2019. She became one of the show’s breakout characters, and Amy’s relationship with  (Jim Parsons) was a staple of the show.

While Amy became a popular character on , Bialik did not intend to become a main cast member when she auditioned for the role. In fact, Bialik originally auditioned for the part because she was “running out of health insurance.”

Mayim Bialik returned to TV with ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Bialik was a well-known child actor throughout the 1980s, and she rose to fame on NBC’s  in the 1990s. Bialik obtained a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and in 2010 she decided to return to acting after a hiatus so she could spend more time with her children.

“I’m glad that I completed my Ph.D. and I’m very proud of it,” she told . “… but the life of a research professor would not have suited my needs in terms of what kind of parenting I wanted to do.”

Bialik never planned on making acting a full-time career, but her role on  ended up resonating with audiences.

“I figured actors never work, so it’s the perfect job to have,” she said. “I started auditioning, and I had never heard of , then I did the guest spot and a year-and-a-half later, it’s turned into a regular job. It’s kind of amazing, I’m really shocked…”

Mayim Bialik needed health insurance

In an episode of , Bialik discussed her acting career. She provided some backstory to her audition process for her roles in shows like  and . When asked about why she auditioned for , Bialik revealed that she needed health insurance.

“It is true that after I got my doctorate I had an infant and a toddler and I was running out of health insurance,” she said. “I had been teaching neuroscience for about five years after getting my degree, and I figured if I could just get a job here or there I would be able to get health insurance.”

Bialik added, “And I had never seen , I didn’t know what it was. It was a guest spot, possible recurring role, and that’s how I ended up auditioning… Then it led to this.”

What she thinks of Sheldon and Amy’s relationship on ‘The Big Bang Theory’

In the same way Bialik did not know fans would love Amy on , she also did not know  would have a huge impact on viewers.

“I think Jim and I both didn’t know where this relationship would go,” Bialik said on PeopleTV’s . “There was a lot to us not being a sexually active couple but still being romantically and intimately interconnected in so many ways. I would say it’s probably the longest-running nonsexual relationship on television, at least that I know of.”