Everyone dreaded George Cooper Sr.’s (Lance Barber) death on “Young Sheldon,” but it was an emotional experience for the cast members. Iain Armitage, who played the titular son of the beloved Cooper family patriarch for seven seasons, was tasked with making the storyline an impactful one for viewers — and this required him to give a certain type of performance.

While speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Armitage revealed that everyone cried during the scene where the family finds out about George’s unexpected passing. However, the show’s creators instructed him to do the opposite. “It was interesting because, for one of the takes, I tried to sink down the chair and not quite cry, but start to get emotional, and [“Young Sheldon” co-creator] Steve Molaro very quickly was like, ‘No, don’t. Not even second. It’s almost more heartbreaking if we don’t see any emotion on your face. You’re completely lost.'”

This story lines up with more behind-the-scenes anecdotes about how the cast and crew handled George’s death. For example, two major scenes were cut from George’s funeral on “Young Sheldon,” as the creators didn’t want to make light of the dramatic storyline. Furthermore, Armitage felt the impact of saying goodbye to the character and the actor who played him.