‘Big Bang Theory’ Actress Rati Gupta Talks Joining Cast in Final Season

The Big Bang Theory‘s newest standout character is happy to help wrap up the iconic CBS comedy.

Rati Gupta joined the cast of the sitcom in a recurring role for its 12th and final season as Rajesh Koothrappali’s (Kunal Nayyar) new fiancee, Anu. The couple began to hit it off after Raj’s parents arranged their marriage at the beginning of the season and have grown closer and closer ever since, with Gupta slowly becoming a beloved character in the series.

The actress, who also plays standout roles during the second season of Hulu’s Future Man, recently opened to PopCulture.com about her experience joining the cast of The Big Bang Theory, and gave her best advice about joining the close-knit set.

“Mayim [Bialik] was telling me that when joined the show… it felt like she was transferring high schools at senior year. Kind of late in the game,” Gupta told PopCulture.com in a phone interview on Dec. 19. “And for me, it’s that times 10, so for me it feels like I’m not just transferring high schools at senior year, I’m transferring before the last two weeks… When everyone’s cramming and getting ready for graduation.”

She added that despite feeling slightly intimidated by joining the show so late in the game, the stars of the beloved CBS series welcomed her into the family.

“It was definitely intimidating to jump into this super well oiled machine, and tight-knit family, but everyone has been so warm and welcoming and has brought me in and made me feel like I belong there, and it’s been a very lovely experience, working with these men and women,” Gupta said. “They’re all so great, and such pros. Like a masterclass, every day I’m at work.”

Along with playing the role of Raj’s future wife who has her own ambitions and career goals, Gupta is taking the opportunity of working alongside the cast of The Big Bang Theory as a learning experience.

“I mean, these guys have been doing this [show] for over a decade, and multi-camera shows, doing a sitcom in front a live audience, there’s a very specific art to it,” Gupta said. “Even watching the writers kind of make their adjustments, and change their jokes on the spot, that’s a skillset that I admire, and aspire to have for myself… I just keep learning new things, and I’m constantly in awe of how good they are at everything they do, all of them.”

Joining Big Bang‘s last season also meant a lot to Gupta on a personal level, revealing that her family had been huge fans of the show from the start.

“My mom has watched the show for years, and has been a big fan, and so has my cousin, her husband, my 9-year-old nephew, like this is their favorite show,” Gupta said. “When I got to tell my family that I was gonna be on the show, it was kind of like the most prideful moment for them, for me to be on the show that they love so much. I’ve done other shows and done other things, but nothing that has hit them to the core the same way this show [has].”

Gupta will return as Anu during The Big Bang Theory winter premiere airing Thursday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.