News

Most actors would jump at the chance to star in a sitcom pilot, even if they don't know what that pilot's future holds — and according to a tell-all book about "The Big Bang Theory," one of that show's stars, Johnny Galecki, was so reluctant to join the show "about nerds" that he turned it down a whopping five times before finally agreeing to play experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter.

In Jessica Radloff's 2022 book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," everyone involved with the series ended up speaking to the author, and the story about how casting directors Nikki Valko and Ken Miller worked alongside creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady to get Galecki involved is a real doozy. After the pilot was written (by Prady and Lorre), Valko and Miller had to cast both Leonard and his best friend Sheldon Cooper; ultimately, Jim Parsons wound up playing Sheldon,...

It's fair to say that on the Chuck Lorre sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," the female characters don't always get a fair shake. At first, the only girl in the main cast is Penny, played by Kaley Cuoco, and she doesn't even get a last name until she marries Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) in season 9. Still, even after the character of Penny was fully reworked for a second attempt at a pilot — she was originally played by Amanda Walsh and named Katie — the show's creative team still thinks the pilot did Penny dirty.

In Jessica Radloff's 2022 book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," both Lorre and his fellow showrunner (and executive producer) Steve Molaro said they don't feel great about how they depict Penny early in the series. "She was the ditzy blonde girl in the pilot, which is one of the...

The Big Bang Theory almost had a very different girl next door.

The forthcoming oral history The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series by Jessica Radloff (pre-order here) reveals the four well-known actresses who auditioned for the role of Penny, originally named Katie, in the 2006 pilot.

More from TVLineYoung Sheldon Recap: Mary Gets Her Groove Back... Thanks to Pastor Rob?Ratings: The Real Love Boat Opens Low; Survivor, Chi Fire Lead WednesdaySurvivor Recap: Risk It for the Biscuit -- Who Found Beware Advantage No. 2?

“I read with Marisa Tomei,” series star Jim Parsons discloses in the book,...

Click here to read the full article.

Would The Big Bang Theory have succeeded without Kaley Cuoco as Penny?

In The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, author Jessica Radloff reveals in the forthcoming oral history of the comedy that Marisa Tomei, Tara Reid and Elizabeth Berkley were all considered to play the role of the lovable neighbor that, ultimately, after a table read and busted pilot, went to the fan-favorite actress.

Radloff’s oral history (due Oct. 11 via Grand Central Publishing) features interviews with 40 people including co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, longtime showrunner Steve Molaro and stars Cuoco (Penny), Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Simon Helberg (Howard), Kunal Nayyar (Raj), Melissa Rauch (Bernadette) and Mayim Bialik (Amy).

Below, The Hollywood Reporter shares a sneak preview of the untold stories that readers can expect with this exclusive excerpt that offers a rare...