Kaley Cuoco is famous for portraying the character of Penny in The Big Bang Theory. But do you know, the actress almost wasn’t on the show at all. Find out how?
Kaley Cuoco has been a part of the longest-running sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”. The actress won everyone’s heart with her incredible performance on the sitcom. Kaley played the character of Penny for more than a decade. Those who have watched the popular sitcom knows that Penny has always been the heart of “The Big Bang Theory”. And it’s hard to imagine the show without Kaley Cuoco, but it almost didn’t happen at the beginning of the show.
During an interview with TV Insider for TBBT’s final season, Kaley revealed that she actually auditioned for the show but not for Penny’s character. However, she didn’t get the part. Find out which character she actually auditioned for and why Cuoco failed to get the part.
The Big Bang Theory Original Pilot:
If you are a big fan of The Big Bang Theory, you may know the sitcom produced two pilot episodes. The original has Leonard and Sheldon but also two female characters named Katie and Gilda. So, Kaley Cuoco originally auditioned for the role of Katie, a character that doesn’t exist but was a part of the original unaired pilot. However, the pilot wasn’t picked up but the series got another shot to try again. And the character of Katie was replaced by Penny.
Speaking of the same, Warner Bros. Television Group President Peter Roth explained why a second pilot was needed. He said
“In the first pilot, the character of Penny (Katie) was not as appealing as that proverbial girl next door. It was not the actress (Amanda Walsh) but rather the conceit of the character. Fortunately, Nina Tassler, then president of CBS Entertainment realized we had something very special and said, let’s do it again”
Later, Katie became Penny. The character was totally different than the original one.
Why Kaley Cuoco Didn’t Get The Part:
Kaley Cuoco revealed the reason for not getting the part of Katie. She said “I didn’t get the role of Katie the first time around. I was too young, which I love saying because I don’t get to say that I’m too young anymore. Then a year later, I heard they were doing it again and they brought me back in to read for Penny”
And the rest is history. Kaley Cuoco impressed the audience with her performance and became one of the most popular characters of The Big Bang Theory.
