Kaley Cuoco didn’t originally want to play Penny on The Big Bang Theory. As the first female lead on the CBS sitcom, Cuoco portrayed the role of Penny for 12 years, only missing a couple of episodes due to a terrible horse riding accident. Throughout those years, The Big Bang Theory not only developed her relationships with Leonard, Sheldon, and the rest of the Pasadena gang, but also her personal arc. Starting off as a naive wannabe-actress who moved to Hollywood to make her dreams come true, the show ended with Penny thriving in her career as a pharmaceutical sales rep and pregnant with her first child. But, had things gone differently, Cuoco wouldn’t have been the one to play Penny on The Big Bang Theory.
In Jessica Radloff’s book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story Of The Epic Hit Series, Cuoco and casting director Ken Miller recall how the actor almost missed out on playing Penny. After the original The Big Bang Theory pilot was reworked, the character Katie turned into Penny, and it became clear to the creators that Cuoco was perfect for the part. Unfortunately for them, she wasn’t interested. Read the full story below:
Miller: When Chuck and Bill rewrote the character of Katie/Penny, we said, “What about Kaley?” [who had just come off of 8 Simple Rules and Charmed]. And they said, “Let’s get her in.” And then she passed. She liked the darker role from the first pilot and didn’t think the rewritten character was as interesting. Nikki spent the entire weekend saying to Kaley’s agent, “She’s gotta come back in for this, she’s gotta do it.
Cuoco: I remember where I was sitting in my house when my agent, Ro, told me, “They really want you for this,” and “It’s probably going to go to series because it’s a Chuck show.” My team just wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be stuck in anything that wasn’t an exciting role since it seemed like a secondary character at first, but Nikki and Ken kept saying, “No, no, it’s going to grow! The guys and this new girl are really going to blow each other’s worlds up.” And I knew when Chuck’s name is next to something, you really don’t question it. I laugh thinking about it now. And then, at every table read on Wednesdays, we always sat in the same place, and Ken and Nikki always sat behind me. And I would always yell out, “Thank you for hiring me!
Why Kaley Cuoco Was Perfect As The Big Bang Theory’s Penny
In the original The Big Bang Theory pilot, Penny was supposed to be Katie, portrayed by Amanda Walsh. While the characters have some similarities, Katie was significantly meaner and just an overall darker character. Test screening feedback revealed that viewers thought of her as too mean, which made it difficult for her to develop an effective dynamic with Sheldon and Leonard right away. Based on the reviews, the producers and writers recognized that they needed a character who was softer and kinder to land the cast dynamic they were looking for.
Luckily, Cuoco eventually agreed to play Penny because she was perfect in the role. When she was first introduced on The Big Bang Theory, she was both friendly and kind to Sheldon and Leonard. As they grew closer, however, she started drawing her own boundaries, and the fact that she was able to call out their male friends for their questionable behavior made her an integral part of the series. This was particularly the case with Sheldon, who was used to bullying people just because he thought they were intellectually inferior to him. But while Penny was always understanding of him, she also confronted him about some of his most vile behaviors.
It’s difficult to imagine what The Big Bang Theory would have looked like if Cuoco didn’t change her mind about playing Penny. The sitcom’s makers knew right away that she would be perfect for the role, and they were proven right the moment the character was introduced. If only they had listened to Cuoco about Penny’s ending, then perhaps it wouldn’t have been that controversial.
