Diksha Sundriyal
HBO Max’s ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ brings back the characters we know and love from ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ This time, the spotlight is on Stuart, the comic book store owner, who usually remained in the sidelines. He is tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic nightmare, and to do so, he must embark on a journey through multiple realities. He is joined in this quest by Bert, Denise, and Barry Kripke. Kripke first appeared as Sheldon’s arch-nemesis on TBBT and became a fan favorite. His lisp was one of the major characteristics that set him apart, and he carries it over in the spin-off as well. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Barry Kripke’s Speech Disorder was Created During Auditions
Barry Kripke is brought to life on the screen by John Ross Bowie, who does not have a speech disorder in real life. The actor first auditioned for ‘The Big Bang Theory’ for the role of Leonard Hofstader, which eventually went to Johnny Galecki. He was later called back to audition for the role of Barry Kripke, who is introduced in the second season as something of a villain and later becomes more amenable over the course of the series. He was supposed to be the bully who targeted the core group, Sheldon branding him his archnemesis at one point. To humanize the character, the show’s creators thought about adding a vulnerability to his role. They eventually settled on Kripke having a speech disorder, which is when Bowie came into the picture.
When told to add a speech disorder to the lines, Bowie tried the dialogue in a lisp, sounding a lot like Elmer Fudd from ‘Looney Tunes.’ The show’s creators found it so good that they not only gave Bowie the role but also changed the character’s name to Barry, which made things funnier because Kripke pronounces “r” as “w.” In real life, this speech trait is called rhotacism. Also called R Speech Impediment, it can be caused by several factors, including physical conditions, neurological disorders, and developmental delays. Though Kripke is not revealed to have suffered from anything like that in the show.
Bowie also revealed that the disorder is not written into the script. Kripke’s dialogues are written just like any other characters. It is when the actor takes on the role that he has to translate where the disorder appears and how prominently. With this, the character is grounded and is prevented from remaining one-dimensional as the bully and the recurring villain. It also serves as a marker of how great he is at his job, given that he likely faced challenges of his own due to the disorder, and he didn’t let it hold him back.
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