How Big Bang Theory's Original Penny Actor Dealt With Being Recast
Is there greater television lore than the unaired pilot? These untelevised nuggets are a treasure trove of what-ifs. What if Bob Saget remained absent from "Full House," as he did in the unaired pilot? What if the unaired "Game of Thrones" pilot had shaped Westeros?
For the actors who get left behind, those what-ifs take on a different meaning. The original pilot for "The Big Bang Theory” is a far cry from the series that ultimately premiered in 2007. Most notably, Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is absent, and there's a character named Katie, played by Amanda Walsh, in her stead. Audiences didn't take fondly to Katie, who they thought was too abrasive, so the character was scrapped, retooled, and recast.
For Walsh, the fact that the character was totally rehauled made the process much easier than had she just been subbed out with a different actress. "I think it was a huge help that the show wasn't exactly the same as that first pilot," Walsh recalled in "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Series." "The fact that it wasn't immediately picked up and there was such retooling made it an easier pill to swallow."
Walsh also confirmed that she has avoided interviews about "The Big Bang Theory" over the years, not wanting to be misconstrued as petty or bitter. "I didn't want them to say things like, 'Oh, my God! What it must have been like!' or 'You missed this thing!' It really was one week of my life. It was one pilot out of many," she said.
Amanda Walsh ended up working on Schitt's Creek
When Amanda Walsh was recast on "The Big Bang Theory," it helped to have a network of Los Angeles-based friends to get her through it. "They said, 'Well, you've officially made it if you've been recast!'" Walsh recalled in the same book on the show.
Some unaired pilot actors are swept into the ash heap of TV history, but the "Big Bang Theory" team was kind enough to hold onto Walsh's number. A year after shooting the pilot, series co-creator Bill Prady tapped Walsh for his next project — a pilot for "The Mastersons of Manhattan" starring Molly Shannon and Natasha Richardson. "For me, that really validated the notion of 'It's not you,' because as an actor, you always question that," Walsh said. "So, to get rehired by the same people for another big project was very, very validating."
The pilot director Jim Burrows was encouraging as well, and he reminded Walsh that Lisa Kudrow had been cast on "Frasier" as Roz, but she was pulled while filming the pilot. Of course, Kudrow went on to book a little-known show called "Friends."
Walsh never quite had her "Friends" moment, but she did get a writing gig on "Schitt's Creek" alongside her acting career. "I think being an actor makes me a better writer, and being a writer makes me a better actor," Walsh said, looking back on her career. "And I really trust that this was my path."