Wait, what? Pre-Big Bang, Johnny Galecki was learning how to become a plumber in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's the end of a television era. After 12 seasons, the final episode of 'The Big Bang Theory' aired Thursday. But, you might not know that before 'The Big Bang Theory,' Johnny Galecki, who plays 'Leonard,' was learning how to become a plumber at Wisconsin's Kohler Plant. 

The actor said in an interview with Larry King on 'Larry King Now,' that he had a moment in his career where he didn't get an acting gig for about three years and money was getting tight to the point where he started selling his belongings, like his cello. A friend told Galecki he thought he'd make a good bathroom and spa designer. That's when Galecki decided to learn about plumbing at the Kohler plant when he got the call that would change his life. 

Here's what the actor told King in an interview: 

"My friend Bill in Chicago said, ‘You would be really good at bathroom and spa design,’ and I said, ‘If I go and I learn — I’m going to go to Wisconsin where the Kohler plant is and then learn the plumbing of it all,’ — and I did — I said, ‘Will you, like, help me bankroll it?’...and then I was in Wisconsin at the Kohler plant when I got a call to come and guest star on something and then that led to my Broadway debut and then while I was there, Chuck called about 'Big Bang'.”