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The Big Bang Theory is a popular show created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. It aired between 2007 and 2019 and followed some brilliant and socially awkward scientists and their interaction with the world around them. The series originated the character of Sheldon Cooper, the spin-off series Young Sheldon is based on.
It also featured Kaley Cuoco as Penny, an aspiring actress who lives across the hall from Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. Unlike them, Penny is outgoing and connected to the outside world. She is portrayed as a struggling actor who starts working as a waitress and a pharmaceutical sales representative.
Recently, Chuck Lorre broke his silence on Kaley's performance as Penny and what her character added to the show. He admitted that without her it would have been difficult to achieve The Big Bang Theory's long run. Chuck and Peter Roth, chairman of Warner Bros. Television, appeared in the first episode of The Big Bang Theory Podcast. Chuck also emphasized that Kaley "brought humanity" to the character.
Read on to learn more about what the creator said.
What did Chuck Lorre say about Kaley Cuoco and her character in The Big Bang Theory?
He acknowledged that it was only after a few episodes he understood the impact of Kaley's performance as Penny. As per reports, Amanda Walsh was supposed to play Penny earlier but was replaced with Kaley after the shooting of its pilot episode.
"Even after the second pilot, we had so many episodes to go before we started to understand that there was a brilliance to Penny’s character that we had not explored."
Chuck regretted that they initially viewed her character very typically—a blond girl who is dumb among these highly intelligent scientists. However, he said he was happy to later realize the depth and warmth Kaley added to the character by being the most empathetic and humane of them.
"She brought a humanity to them that they were lacking. And that took a while to figure out. Certainly, in the beginning she was sadly one-dimensional in many ways, but the gift of a TV series that starts working is you get time to learn."
His perception of Penny as a character transformed from being a "dumb blond" to "intelligence that the scientists were lacking." Chuck gained a new eye to see the character in depth and how she has the "intelligence" to understand family, emotions, and relationships.
"It’s a clichéd character: the dumb blonde, and we missed it. We didn’t have that right away that what she brought to this story, this series, to these other characters was an intelligence that they didn’t have. A kind of intelligence that was alien to them, an intelligence about people and relationships and family."
On Jessica Radloff's podcast show, Roth said that the best part of Kaley's character was that Penny was never harsh on these nerdy scientists. She was not critical of them but amused by them.
"She was never judgmental about these characters. She was bemused by them. In fact, they brought more judgement to her than she did ever of them."
The character arc of Kaley's character in The Big Bang Theory explored in brief
In The Big Bang Theory, Penny's character arc is dynamic. As a struggling actress, she often is shown facing financial difficulties. Moreover, she and Leonard shared an irregular romantic relationship. As the seasons progress, she is shown as a more independent and mature woman.
She realizes that her career in acting isn't taking off and also begins to take her relationship with Leonard seriously. She lands on a high-paying job as a representative in a pharmaceutical company, and in season 9, Leonard and Penny get married.
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The US audience can watch The Big Bang Theory on Max. It is also available to stream on Prime Video and Netflix for different regions.
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