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Fortune

Orianna Rosa Royle

Big Bang Theory star had an existential crisis after his big break—despite making $1 million an episode: 'You feel empty’

Kunal Nayyar Fortune Airbnb Brian Chesky Wingstop UK

(Credit: JC Olivera/FilmMagic—Getty Images)

After securing his breakthrough role as Rajesh Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory at just 26 years old, Kunal Nayyar quickly rose to fame, earning a staggering $1 million per episode at the height of the show’s success and becoming one of the highest-paid actors on television ever.

“I remember ordering Laurent-Perrier rosé champagne—just bottles of it—and feeling like a king, having a really lavish dinner with truffles on everything, and the most expensive, whatever it was,” he recalls in an exclusive interview with Fortune.

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