Kaley Cuoco didn't originally want to play
The Big Bang Theory made a star of Kaley Cuoco, but creator Chuck Lorre has admitted that the early seasons of the show did not do her character of Penny justice.
According to Unilad, before Kaley Cuoco succeeded in getting the female lead of Penny, the original female character was actually called Katie and was set to be played by Amanda Walsh. Here's a clip of the unaired pilot which starred Katie in the show.
During the season, Kaley Cuoco's character Penny was absent from episodes 5 and 6 after she fell off a horse and the horse broke her leg.
"It was just a totally different character," the casting director said. "[O'Keefe] brought a darkness, which just didn't work, so she was replaced [by Canadian actress Amanda Walsh] after the table read."
The book reveals that four actors almost won the role instead: Marisa Tomei, Tara Reid, Elizabeth Berkeley and Jodi Lynn O'Keefe. Co-creator Bill Prady said that Berkeley especially had a ”terrific” audition, but it was O'Keefe who won the role.
Walsh wanted to come back and have another crack at playing the newer version, but they decided to recast. That's when Cuoco became Penny. The Big Bang Theory premiered on September 24, 2007.
"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.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki have maintained a strong friendship since their 2009 split — and never let their personal lives get in the way of their professional bond.
The characters of Penny and Sheldon had a unique friendship that viewers loved watching because of their opposing personalities. The actors who played them, Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons, didn't have much in common with their characters, but they did share a real-life friendship.
Penny earns twice the money that Leonard does changing the financial balance of their relationship. She turns the tables on him and gets him to agree to letting her try out for the part. Bernadette also earns more than Howard.
Penny Quit Acting Because She Wasn't A Good Actress
She was fired from her only acting gig, which was when she decided that she needed to make smarter decisions. At the start of TBBT season 8, Penny sported shorter hair and a more professional look.
The Big Bang Theory stars Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki have opened up about their secret romance. The pair, who played Penny and Leonard Hofstadter on the long-running show, dated in real life for two years. The Flight Attendant star Kaley admitted she had a crush on her co-star from "very early on".
Penny pays Sheldon back and mentions that Kurt surprised her by repaying the money he owes her because he felt guilty. Leonard wants to know what led to this "epiphany." She doesn't know, but she is convinced Kurt has changed and will meet him for dinner tomorrow night.
The actress needed to cut her hair for her role as Katy in Burning Bodhi, an independent film directed and written by Matthew McDuffie. The movie was released in 2015, so its production coincided with The Big Bang Theory season 8, as well as the season 9 premiere featuring Penny and Leonard's wedding.
Brief Outline: Penny was diagnosed three years ago (2003) with ALS, after having arm weakness, pains and coughing fits for three years. The condition has progressed quite slowly so far.
Meg Ryan Was Not Asked to Return
Kosinski did not want every storyline in the film "to be looking backwards," and he instead took the time to introduce new characters. The introduction of Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), for one.
Interestingly, Jim Parsons was not the preferred candidate for the role at one point. As it turns out, The Big Bang Theory creator, Chuck Lorre, initially offered the iconic role to Johnny Galecki, who turned it down, opting to play Leonard Hofstadter instead.
The actress claimed, as her character “grew up“ she became more vocal with wardrobe choices as she wanted it to reflect her. Kaley did so by switching the sexualised outfit for long-sleeve shirts, "slacks" and "loafers," which she admitted was more comfortable.
Cuoco even had writers of Based On A True Story rewrite her character once she found out she was pregnant – something that shocked her and excited her. She described the process of filming her character as “interesting,” and even stated that her pregnancy was “the best part about it.”
Kaley Cuoco has had plastic surgery and she is not afraid to talk about it. Famous for her role as Penny on The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco opened up about her past cosmetic surgery undertakings in the latest issue of Women's Health.
Sheldon Cooper has long been speculated to have autism. However, according to the producers of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper isn't actually autistic.
For the first three seasons of The Big Bang Theory, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, and Kaley Cuoco each made $60,000 per episode, according to Looper. There were 63 episodes total in seasons 1 through 3, and simple math (aka my phone's calculator) tells me this means they each made around $3,780,000. Not bad!
Cuoco and Galecki's characters, Penny and Leonard, ultimately got married, and had at least one child that we know of. The actors, of course, did not, but they did date exclusively for two years, from 2008 to 2010.