The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco Unsuccessfully Auditioned For A Cult Classic Series

Before they get their big break, a lot of actors end up auditioning for well-known shows and just narrowly missing out on huge roles ... and apparently, that's what happened to future "Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco, who tried to book a part in a beloved teen series.

In a 2012 article on New York Magazine's entertainment vertical Vulture, the outlet discussed several people who auditioned for Paul Feig and Judd Apatow's cult series "Freaks and Geeks," which ended up producing a wild amount of future stars. According to them, Jesse Eisenberg, Oscar nominee for "The Social Network," once auditioned for the role of Sam Weir, the protagonist of the titular "geeks" who was eventually played by John Francis Daly (best known otherwise for "Bones" and his screenwriting credits, including "Game Night" and "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves"). Lizzy Caplan, who rose to prominence in "Mean Girls" and recently turned in a bravura performance in "Fleishman Is in Trouble," auditioned to play either Lindsay Weir or Kim Kelly; Lindsay, the new kid in the "freak" crew, was played by Linda Cardellini, and Busy Phillips snagged the role of Kim Kelly (and Caplan appeared on the show in a smaller role).

So what about Cuoco? Vulture readily admits that they're not sure which role she auditioned for, though we can probably assume that it was either Lindsay or Kim (because they're the only lead female roles in the short-lived series). She was apparently 12 years old when she auditioned and, according to the outlet, was told by Apatow that she had a future in the industry ... and he was definitely right about that. 

Kaley Cuoco almost didn't play the lead female role on "The Big Bang Theory" — as real fans know, actress Amanda Walsh appeared in the pilot as a radically different character named Katie, but after she performed poorly with test audiences, Cuoco stepped in. The rest, as they say, is history. We first meet Cuoco's Penny (no last name) in the show's pilot when she moves in across the hall from physicists Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), the latter of whom falls in love with her instantly ... and as Penny navigates her new life in California, the Nebraskan native joins Sheldon and Leonard's friend group, meeting their buddies Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg). 

Eventually, "The Big Bang Theory" introduces two other female leads — neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), who ends up with Sheldon, and Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz (Melissa Rauch), who marries Howard and has two children with him — and the trifecta of Amy, Bernadette, and Penny brings a fresh and much-needed feminine energy to the previously male-dominated show. Plus, Amy and Bernadette help Penny grow as a character; Bernadette, in particular, lends a hand when Penny gives up on her ailing career as an actress and gets Penny a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative, a role in which Penny genuinely flourishes. By the time the show ends, Penny has a last name — after marrying Leonard — and the two are expecting a baby. So what did Cuoco do after "The Big Bang Theory?"

"The Big Bang Theory" ended in 2019 after twelve seasons and the same number of years, and by this point, Kaley Cuoco was an in-demand actress on the small screen. Smartly, Cuoco, who inked a deal with Warner Bros. in 2017 before "The Big Bang Theory" even ended, adopted a dual role for her future projects, becoming an actress and an executive producer so that she could wield more creative control over her work. The first co-production between Warner Bros. and Cuoco's company "Yes, Norman" (named for her beloved dog), an animated version of "Harley Quinn" on HBO Max that focuses on the Joker's villainous girlfriend after their breakup — and features Cuoco herself as the voice of Harley — began airing in 2019, and just one year later, Cuoco headlined the HBO Max original series "The Flight Attendant." 

"The Flight Attendant" stars Cuoco as Cassie Bowden, a woman struggling with her relationship to alcohol who keeps that under wraps while working as a flight attendant in first class cabins on a luxury airline. After she spends a night with a handsome stranger (Michiel Huisman) in Bangkok and wakes up to find him dead in bead — namely, with his throat cut — she's desperae to prove her innocence and figure out what happened. "The Flight Attendant" sadly only ran for two seasons, but beyond that, Cuoco has also produced and starred in projects like "Based on a True Story" and the streaming movies "Meet Cute" and "Role Play." If you want to return to her glory days as Penny, you can; "The Big Bang Theory" is streaming on HBO Max now.