Mayim Bialik Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions

My favorite food is pickles.

[bright music]

Wonder why no one googles does Mayim Bialik like pickles.

[bright music]

Hi, I'm Mayim Bialik and today I'm doing the

Wired Autocomplete Interview.

Okay, how Mayim Bialik.

How old is Mayim Bialik?

Mayim Bialik is 44.

She was born in 1975.

How did Mayim Bialik get into acting?

When I was 11 years old,

my parents typed a letter on a typewriter

to different kids agents with a picture of me

that my dad took in the backyard and said,

this kid looks like Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand.

What do you think?

And thus, I picked an agent

from the ones who were interested

based on that weird letter and my weird face.

My first audition was to play DJ on a little show

called Full House.

And the note that the casting agent gave to my manager was,

she talks too fast.

It's true.

How tall is Mayim Bialik?

If I stand up straight,

I'm 5'4 and a half.

But, I don't stand up straight.

So, I feel like I'm about 4'3.

How do you pronounce Mayim Bialik?

My name is Hebrew.

Mayim is water.

My last name's actually supposed to be two syllables.

Bia lik.

But, in English we say Bialik.

Is Mayim Bialik.

Is Mayim Bialik Canadian?

No, I was born in San Diego

and I do not hold Canadian citizenship.

Is Mayim Bialik left-handed?

I am mixed handed.

I was born a righty.

My mother was a lefty.

My brother was a lefty.

I was in a significant car accident eight years ago,

which made me have to become much more ambidextrous.

So, I actually do all sports lefty.

So, yeah.

I guess I'm mixed handed,

but mostly right.

Is Mayim Bialik vegetarian?

No, I'm not.

I am vegan.

Vegetarians typically eat eggs or dairy.

I do not eat any animal product

or any animal byproduct.

So, I am vegan.

Is Mayim Bialik a genius?

I don't think I'm a genius.

If you're talking about IQ classifications,

I don't even know what those are.

So, no.

Is Mayim Bialik in a Geico commercial?

No, I'm not that little lizard.

That's not me.

What Mayim Bialik.

What is Mayim Bialik's religion?

My religious affiliation is I am Jewish.

Person of the Jewish faith.

What is Mayim Bialik's new show?

Glad you asked.

Jim Parsons and I are producing a show called Call Me Kat.

It's about a very unusual woman

who does not have it all,

but is still happy.

What did Mayim Bialik study?

I have an undergraduate degree in neuroscience,

a minor in Hebrew and Jewish studies

and I hold a doctorate from UCLA also in neuroscience

in the field of psycho neuro endocrinology.

What languages does Mayim Bialik speak?

If I had to find a bathroom or a hospital,

I could do that in English, pretty sure.

I could do that in Spanish.

I could do that in Hebrew.

And I can read and write Yiddish,

which is the language of Eastern European Jews.

I can do some sign language.

I know the alphabet and some basic signs.

And I speak the language of love.

Is Mayim Bialik.

Is Mayim Bialik related to Margaret Hamilton?

No.

Just 'cause we both have prominent noses.

I mean, come on people.

Is Mayim Bialik related to Bette Midler?

I'm not related to Bette Midler.

But, I did play Bette Midler's character

when I was in Beaches when I was 12 years old.

But, we're not related.

We just look alike.

Is Mayim Bialik a real scientist?

I mean, it depends on your definition of real scientist.

I do hold a PHD in neuroscience from UCLA.

I don't currently live and make my living

as a scientist.

But, I guess I'm a real scientist, yes.

Is Mayim Bialik in What a Girl Wants?

First I thought that said,

is Mayim Bialik what a girl wants?

And I was gonna be like,

oh yeah, she is.

I don't know what What a Girl Wants is.

But, I don't think I'm in it.

But, there's a song.

♪ What a girl wants ♪

♪ What a girl needs ♪

♪ Whatever ♪

Right?

Okay.

Is Mayim Bialik single?

I'm dating someone.

But, technically still open I guess.

Mayim Bialik.

Are Mayim Bialik and Kaley Cuoco friends?

Well, we worked together for nine years.

Then I went to her wedding and celebrated things with her.

I would say we're friends.

Are Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons friends?

Yeah, Jim Parsons and I check in with each other in life.

We're working together on this new show

that we're producing together.

I've been to life events and know his family.

Yeah, we're friends.

Can Mayim Bialik really play the harp?

I learned to play the harp for The Big Bang Theory.

I'm a piano player,

a bass player and a trumpet player.

I did learn to play the harp rudimentarily.

For the episode where Leonard and Penny get married,

that is not me playing the harp

'cause they want a really elaborate, fancy thing

and I do not play well enough for that.

So, I play well enough to play Everybody Hurts

by R.E.M.

Are you afraid of the dark Mayim Bialik?

That's creepy, yes.

Can Mayim Bialik sing?

Yes, I can.

Did Mayim Bialik.

Uh oh, did I what?

Did Mayim Bialik go to prom?

I did not go to my own prom.

I went to my close friend Sebastian's prom

in Laramie, Wyoming.

His parents and my parents have been friends

since before we were born.

And we grew up hanging out together.

He invited me to his prom and it was awesome.

Did Mayim Bialik win an Emmy?

Thanks for rubbing it in.

No, I didn't.

I think I was nominated four times?

Five?

I don't remember, 'cause I never won.

Did Mayim Bialik really sing in Beaches?

No.

That's a grown up woman singing.

This is a really interesting kind of Hollywood folklore.

Bette Midler chose the voice that she wanted

for her character to sing like.

I do not sing like an adult.

I was 12.

I sang like a 12 year old who could sing.

But, I am singing along with the track,

is why it mostly looks like I'm singing.

'Cause, I actually was when we filmed that.

Yup, but I can sing.

And I've sang Glory Love a lot in my life.

Did Mayim Bialik play Blossom?

Yeah.

You could've just Googled Blossom and seen,

nevermind.

Mayim Bialik.

Why is Mayim Bialik vegan?

Because she loves animals.

Why am I talking about myself in the third person?

I am vegan because I love animals

and the way that I show my love is by not consuming animals

or any animal byproducts.

I'm vegan because of the economic impact

that's storing the animals for their flesh

and byproducts creates.

And I'm vegan because of the environmental impact

of farming.

I'm also vegan because of the health implications, yeah.

When did Mayim Bialik join Big Bang?

I'm terrible with numbers of years,

but I appeared in the season finale of season three.

And then was made a regular at the same time

that Melissa Rauch was.

Melissa Rauch who played Bernadette.

We were made regulars in season four.

I had an infant and a toddler

and I was trying to get back into the business

because I needed health insurance.

This is a true story.

I had never seen The Big Bang Theory

and I was told to go on this audition and I did.

They said, we need a female Jim Parsons.

And I said, who's that?

And I Googled him and I was like,

oh I get this character.

I know everyone like this character.

I went to grad school.

And I did my best impression of him

and on my resume it says,

miscellaneous PHD neuroscience.

But, that's not why I got the job.

You don't have to be a neuroscientist to play one on TV.

What Mayim Bialik on Macgyver?

Yes, I was.

Why did Mayim Bialik leave Lego Masters?

[laughing]

I think they mean,

why didn't I get to stay to judge?

I really wanted to.

I had a work appointment for Call Me Kat,

which is the show that I'm producing and starring in

with Jim Parsons.

I had already booked Lego Masters

and I really didn't wanna back out,

'cause I really wanted to do it.

So, they made it so that I could at least be there

for as much as I could

before I had to go to work.

That's why I left.

Why Mayim Bialik YouTube.

I know, right?

Why?

Because I love talking to people about things

that are hopefully interesting and important.

And I love finding people like me.

I do a lot on mental health.

I do a lot on my life behind the scenes

and I think it's a really interesting way to communicate

with an audience.

So, that's why Mayim Bialik YouTube.

Who are Mayim Bialik's parents?

Two very, very strange people.

My father passed away five years ago.

He was a filmmaker and a writer

and a photographer.

He made his living as an English and drama teacher.

And my mother was also a teacher.

My parents were civil rights activists

and my mother started teaching

in the women's prison in Harlem.

My parents were documentary filmmakers together.

My mom taught early education.

My father was and my mother is very,

very quirky.

Funny, outrageous.

And they also always wore matching outfits

for family events.

Like, we're both wearing plaid.

We're both wearing white linen.

Adorable.

Was Mayim Bialik in Roseanne?

No, I mean Sarah Gilbert was in Roseanne.

Unless you think I'm Roseanne.

Oh.

Was Mayim Bialik Punky Brewster?

No.

And to the millions of people who shout this at me

on the street,

hey Punky Brewster,

I was not Punky Brewster.

Soleil Moon Frye was Punky Brewster.

That was an afternoon kids show.

Blossom was a primetime television show on NBC.

We aired after Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

I was not an orphan who wore different color shoes.

I just a quirky girl who was smart,

but also popular-ish.

Who was Mayim Bialik married too?

I was married to my ex-husband.

[whimpering]

His name was Michael.

His name is still Michael.

Does Mayim Bialik.

Uh oh.

Does Mayim Bialik have a child?

I do.

And then I also have another one.

They're almost 12 and almost 15.

They're both boys.

I don't know why I made that sound so weird.

Does Mayim Bialik have siblings?

Yes, I do.

I have a brother who's four years older than me.

Does Mayim Bialik have an Instagram?

Yes, I do.

It's missMayim.

M-I-S-S-M-A-Y-I-M,

like do you miss Mayim?

[laughing]

Also, someone else stole my name.

So, that's why I'm Miss Mayim.

Does Mayim Bialik have a tattoo?

As a matter of fact,

I have two.

And they're both in relatively hidden places.

And no, it's not a dolphin on my ankle.

Thank you so much for watching Wired.

Thank you for all your questions.

Thank you for your curiosity about me.

I mean, I think I learned new things about me.

So, thank you.