What You Didn't Know About Young Sheldon's Iain Armitage

Iain Armitage never really wanted to be an actor. The young star revealed to Vulture in 2017 that he fell in love with theatre after watching "Hairspray" as a 3-year-old. While Armitage was still a toddler, he started his own YouTube channel, Iain Loves Theatre, to share his thoughts about his favorite musicals. In a few short years, the youngster's uplifting and adorable reviews caught the eye of mainstream media. And, in 2015, the young theater critic sat down for a chat with Steve Harvey for "Little Big Shots" and wound up interviewing the host instead. 

Somewhat surprisingly, Harvey wasn't the only celebrity that Armitage chatted to that year since the YouTuber also got to speak to several big names when he filled in for Perez Hilton on the Tony Awards red carpet. As Armitage interviewed Bryan Cranston, he adorably shared that his mother had bought his tuxedo from Amazon. He also impressed Josh Groban by informing him that he could play his track "You Raise Me Up" on the piano. However, that wasn't Armitage's only surprising revelation from the night since he later told Joshua Bergasse that he could tap dance. 

Although the little one's talents naturally caught the eye of Hollywood agents, Armitage admitted to Vulture that his family was initially hesitant about letting him pursue a career in Tinseltown because they were all too familiar with how showbiz could gravely impact child actors. As a result, the Armitages turned down several offers to sign him, but they eventually joined an agency that addressed their concerns appropriately. Needless to say, his acting career took off in no time.

While speaking to Vulture in 2017, Iain Armitage proudly confirmed that he only had to do one video audition to bag the role of Ziggy in hit show "Big Little Lies." Meanwhile, in a 2019 interview with W magazine, the actor recalled how his bond with his onscreen mother, Shailene Woodley, started even before their first day on set together, saying, "We FaceTimed her before we filmed the first 'Big Little Lies,' and she said that acting is like being on a giant playground, it's so fun, you're going to have so much fun, and from the very start she was like my real mom." 

Although their work on the HBO series ended in 2019, Armitage and the "Divergent" star remained supportive of each other. In December 2024, we enjoyed a throwback pic of Armitage and Woodley that showed how grown up the "Young Sheldon" star was. After the actor watched his first onscreen mother in a Broadway play, he took to Instagram to share a snap of them backstage alongside a couple of photos from their days working together. In the caption, Armitage reminisced about their show and praised Woodley's performance. 

Meanwhile, the "Descendants" actor gushed about her young co-star during a January 2024 appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," noting, "He's so smart and wise. It's just been beautiful to watch him grow." While Armitage may have got his big break on "Big Little Lies," he actually made his small screen debut with a small part in a 2017 episode of "Law & Order: SVU."

In a 2017 chat with Entertainment Tonight, actor Jim Parsons confessed that Iain Armitage's initial video audition for "Young Sheldon" completely floored him. The young performer's ability to stand out among the crowd was only made more impressive by the fact that he had to read a lengthy and complex monologue. During a 2018 Entertainment Tonight interview, the "Big Bang Theory" alum detailed how the audition even required Armitage to do an impression of William Shatner, who played the lead in the original "Star Trek" series. 

Although the beloved sci-fi show aired well before the prequel's star was born, he still managed to do a phenomenal job. "It was just trial by fire: if you can't do this, you can't trust him," Parsons explained of the demanding audition process for his younger onscreen counterpart. Suffice it to say that Armitage's performance left no room for doubt that there was somebody better suited to play a young Sheldon Cooper. However, his incredibly accurate portrayal of the character only seems more impressive based on his revelation to Business Standard in 2017. 

"Well 'Big Bang...' isn't really appropriate for me, plus it's not really aimed at my audience level. So, I only watched a few clips," Armitage disclosed. "I haven't really watched 'Big Bang...', though I would love to see it." Moreover, the child star credited Parsons for being such an outstanding mentor, who helped him grasp Sheldon Cooper's character in no time. Armitage also shared that he usually stepped into his character's shoes by practicing his lines and modulating his voice during hair and makeup on-set.

While speaking to the Los Angeles Times in May 2024, Iain Armitage confirmed that he had plenty of things keeping him busy after the beloved sitcom spinoff/prequel wrapped up. However, he was particularly excited to take his aviation hobby to the next level and fly a plane solo on his 16th birthday. When the big day came around, Armitage had a sweet change of plans. In an Instagram post thanking fans for their birthday wishes, he revealed, "I spent the day flying my grandmother around in a small plane as part of my pilot training. It was an honor to fly her and I loved being in the air again." 

A few weeks later, we saw the transformation of the "Young Sheldon" star when he posted a photo to finally mark his first solo flight. Then, in October, Armitage proudly informed People that he had earned his student pilot's license and hoped to have his private pilot's license by his next birthday. The love of aviation may just run in the family since the child star also divulged that his grandmother wasn't afraid to get on a plane with him. 

However, that's not his only unique hobby. During a 2019 chat with Esquire, the "Big Little Lies" star disclosed that he also loved collecting rocks and stuffed animals, as well as practicing magic and Taekwondo. At the time of the interview, he was a "high second brown belt," in the challenging martial art, but Armitage took to X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022 to announce that he had earned his black belt after years of hard work.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Iain Armitage's 7-season run on "Young Sheldon" made him a bonafide millionaire. The website reported that by the third season of the hit sitcom, its lead was making $32,500 per episode, a small yet significant increase from his $30,000 per episode earnings in Season 1. By the time "Young Sheldon" concluded, Armitage was a teenager with an estimated net worth of $6 million. 

Although the talented youngster undoubtedly worked hard for his role, he still managed to make time to pursue some of his other interests while he was on set. In 2024, the child star acknowledged to People that he initially spent his time between takes finishing his school work. However, Armitage wasn't done learning even after he wrapped up his coursework because the actor requested his on-set teacher to teach him Arabic during their breaks. 

Armitage explained that his visit to Egypt in 2023 prompted him to learn the language, adding, "Whenever we visit a country, I have a great time there, I love trying to learn the language because it's a fun challenge and also, it's a fun way to connect with people." Given all this, it's unsurprising that the actor told Arlington magazine in 2024 that he had picked up some Assyrian from his neighbors. He shared that he also knew some German, Spanish, and Italian, adding, "I speak a little bit of Sinhalese [which is native to Sri Lanka] just because it has such an interesting-looking alphabet, which I love to learn how to read."

Iain Armitage's love of theater comes as no surprise considering that his father, Euan Morton, has built a career in the industry. According to Morton's website, he joined the children's theater in his Scottish hometown in his younger years to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor someday. Speaking to Maryland Theatre Guide in 2021, the Scottish actor revealed that his passions evolved while he was attending a performing arts college, recalling, "I originally went to study musical theatre but realized quickly that I would be better served studying classical acting." 

After he made a name for himself in the West End, Morton took on Broadway with roles in "Sondheim on Sondheim" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." The Scottish performer also got to be a part of one of Broadway's most famous musicals, "Hamilton," portraying King George III. Meanwhile, Iain's mother, Lee Armitage, is the daughter of Richard Armitage, who served as George W. Bush's Deputy Secretary of Defense in his first term. In 2025, Iain suffered the tragic loss of his grandfather and penned him a heartfelt Instagram tribute. 

Similar to the "Young Sheldon" star and Morton, Lee has a passion for theater, too. She worked as a producer long before he shot to fame. However, his parents' careers aren't the only unique thing about Iain's upbringing. In a 2021 interview with Etalk, the young star noted that he had been a strict vegetarian his whole life. Meanwhile, during his 2019 chat with Esquire, he divulged that he had also tried veganism for a bit but eventually added cheese and eggs back into his meals.