An Emotional Lance Barber Had His Young Sheldon Funeral Plans Ruined

Actor Lance Barber can be a little bit of a prankster. The performer, who portrays not only the absolutely deranged dad Bill Ponderosa on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" but also the heartwarming patriarch of the Cooper clan on "Young Sheldon," had planned on playing some pranks on his castmates during one of the saddest scenes on "Young Sheldon" — his character George Sr.'s funeral. 

"Young Sheldon" is quite a bit different from its source series, "The Big Bang Theory," eschewing the multi-cam format and live laughter for something a bit more personal and dramatic, but that didn't always stop the cast from cutting up on set. When it came to the funeral, however, Barber's plans for pranks were cut short by his own emotional reaction to the scene itself. 

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Barber revealed that initially he had all kinds of silly plans to make his co-stars crack up during the heart-wrenching scene, complete with some potentially giggle-inducing props. In the end, however, he just couldn't do it because he was far too emotional about pretending to be a dead guy. 

Though Barber was not even on set during the filming of the scene in the previous episode where his family learns that George Sr. has died because it felt it would be more poignant, he was thrilled that they were going to have him lie still in a casket for the penultimate episode of the series, the aptly titled "Funeral." George, who died from a heart attack, left behind his wife, eldest son George Jr. (Montana Jordan), and twins Sheldon (Iain Armitage) and Missy (Raegan Revord), and in the funeral episode, each got a moment to share their goodbyes with him. Since it was the end of the series and they were also saying goodbye as a cast for real, Barber took it a little harder than he expected. He told THR that even though he was "going to ruin so many takes" with "a fart machine and a fake mustache," he couldn't do it once they started filming. He explained:

"These actors walked up in succession to talk to George and had their moments with him. I didn't do any of my funny bets, I laid there and [had] tears in my ears the entire time. It hit me pretty hard in the way it didn't anticipate."

The funeral episode was originally planned to be a little bit funnier, but was actually re-edited to have more emotional impact when the show's creators realized just how big the cast and crew reaction was and how massive the fan reaction would be. It wasn't just Barber who was surprised by the real drama in the moment, but almost everyone involved. 

It's funny, because "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon" co-creator Chuck Lorre has said he regrets killing off George Sr. on "The Big Bang Theory," thus dooming him on "Young Sheldon," while the "Young Sheldon" showrunners have zero regrets about the death of the beloved father figure. It's true that Barber and the writers made George Sr. much more lovable than Sheldon made him out to be on "The Big Bang Theory," and his death hit much harder than anyone could have anticipated from only watching that series. But his untimely end also serves as an important endcap for Sheldon's childhood and a moment that shaped him in the years to come. 

While it would have been hilarious for Barber to use his fart machine or his silly moustache to try and get his costars to giggle, his being overwhelmed by emotion is much, much sweeter. And besides, he still got to have a bit of fun by dressing in drag and showing up in the crowd at his own funeral, so the day wasn't entirely tears and tragedy.