Here's What It's Like to Work With Elon Musk, the Actor

Elon Musk may be known for helping build companies, but the enigmatic entrepreneur has another credit to add to his resume -- budding Hollywood icon.
By Chris Ciaccia ,

Elon Musk may be known for helping build payments company PayPal, electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors (TSLA) - Get Report and rocket company SpaceX, but the enigmatic entrepreneur has another credit to throw on his resume -- budding Hollywood icon.

Musk, 44, is slated to appear on CBS's (CBS) - Get ReportThe Big Bang Theory later this month, marking the first time the South African-born Musk has appeared on the show.

"Elon was terrific," Big Bang executive producer/showrunner Steve Molaro said in an interview. "Everyone on the stage was very excited to have him join us. He did a fantastic job, scored genuine laughs and he definitely seemed to have a great time. I think everyone will get a big kick out of his appearance. It was an honor to have him."

According to CBS' Web site, Musk will "be playing himself and is expected to have an interesting interaction with Howard at a local soup kitchen."

Despite this being Musk's first appearance on the show, he was the topic of conversation on a previous episode of CBS's No. 1 rated show.

Big Bang has continued to be a huge hit for CBS over its nine seasons, as viewers watch the lives of  Sheldon Cooper, his roommate Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali, Penny, Bernadette Rostenkowski and Amy Farrah Fowler. The show's Oct. 26 episode had a 4.4 rating with a 14 share of the key 18-49 demographic and reached 16.3 million viewers.

The show has also continued to be a cash cow for Time Warner's (TWX) Warner Bros. television production unit, which produces the show. The show has been in syndication for some time, appearing on channels such as TBS and it recently re-entered China, after disappearing from the country's video streaming sites for more than a year.

Musk, who took time away from his schedule running Tesla and SpaceX, actually had reached out to the show's creator, Chuck Lorre, about appearing, Molaro said. "We came up with a fun way to incorporate him into a storyline, checked on his schedule, and a week or so later he was on our stage."

Tesla is slated to report third-quarter earnings after the markets close on Tuesday, with Musk expected to discuss how the company's latest vehicle, the Model X, is faring. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the company to lose 50 cents a share in the quarter on $1.26 billion in revenue.

Tesla recently announced it delivered 11,580 vehicles in the third quarter, including the first units of the Model X, which was unveiled in September.

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