Before Kaley Cuoco made a name for herself in shows like "The Big Bang
Theory" and "The Flight Attendant," she was a precocious young girl with big dreams.
Here's a look at Cuoco's journey growing up from the ages of 8 to 35.
Cuoco began playing tennis at age three, and quickly proved herself as a focused player with
the skills to reach the national youth rankings. At the same time, she built up her acting resume,
appearing in commercials as well as the 1992 movie "Quicksand: No Escape."
"Honey, daddy is not mad, just tell me where you found this."
"In the kitchen."
"Show me."
The following year, 8-year-old Cuoco was cast in the action film "Virtuosity" alongside two
acting legends: Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. After the experience,
her mother and father wanted to make sure that she knew what she was getting into,
but as we all know today, Cuoco made the decision to pursue an acting career.
Cuoco has made it no secret that she is a major "Friends" fanatic
with a huge "girl crush" on Jennifer Aniston.
"I loved her on the show, I loved her outside of the show,
how she behaved. She was funny and cool and cute and I just idolized her," Cuoco said.
When she was 11 years old, she got the chance to meet her idol on the
set of the 1997 romantic comedy "Picture Perfect" — an experience she never forgot.
Cuoco later revealed that her mom had to give her a pep talk to help her work up enough courage to
approach Aniston. Cuoco praised her former idol for being, quote, "so kind," adding,
"That encounter still lives with me, and it will for the rest of my life."
Kaley Cuoco was just 16 years old when she landed the role that really put her on the map.
From 2002 to 2005, she played a typical teen on the ABC series,
"8 Simple Rules." Offscreen, however, her own teenage years were anything but typical.
During a 2012 interview, Cuoco revealed that she was homeschooled starting in the fifth grade.
However, thanks to an invite from High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale,
Cuoco didn't miss out on one hallmark of the public high school experience: going to prom.
Unfortunately for Cuoco, a group of mean girls spoiled the experience for her.
Despite her simple outfit, she didn't escape the bullies' notice. Cuoco recalled,
"...these horribly mean girls said, 'Oh, you think you're going to the Academy Awards in
your classy black dress?' Honestly, it just made me happy to know I wasn't in that school."
When Kaley Cuoco was around 20 years old, she landed her career-defining role as Penny
in The Big Bang Theory. During much of the show's fourth season, however,
only the top half of her body was visible. This is because she'd suffered a horrific
injury in September 2010 that almost cost her a foot. Although she kept relatively
private about what happened at first, the actor went into more detail about
her accident on talk shows like "The Late Show with David Letterman" in the following months.
Cuoco, an avid equestrian, was practicing with one of her show-jumping horses when the animal
"spooked," throwing her to the ground. She was initially fine,
but then the horse jumped up and landed on her left leg, crushing the bone.
"...so they cut my boot off, I'm screaming, I'm not joking, my leg was at a 90 degree angle,
like, but, and my mom, you know, she's going, she's like OH MY GOD!"
Cuoco ended up having two metal bars and 18 pins inserted into her leg. Because of the injury,
Penny was promoted from waitress to bartender so she could hide her cast behind the bar.
When Cuoco lopped off her flowy blonde locks in 2014,
some "Big Bang Theory" fans reacted worse than Sheldon did to the big change.
"Hey, look who's back!"
"Your hair is different. You changed your hair. I can't take this, I'm out."
The actor didn't let that phase her, however. During a sit-down with Ellen DeGeneres,
Cuoco revealed that going super short was something she had wanted to do,
quote, "for years." Before she cut off her iconic golden locks for a movie role,
she warned the producers of The Big Bang Theory about her plan.
Luckily, the producers had no problem with Cuoco's new hairstyle,
and decided to write it into the show. But during a Season 10 episode,
Penny was shocked to learn that none of her friends actually liked her short hair.
"Seriously, none of you liked it?"
"I thought it was brave. Does that count as liking it?"
By the time she was 35 years old, Kaley Cuoco's 12 seasons on The Big Bang Theory had made her
one of television's wealthiest stars. Her big bank account made it possible for her
to wait patiently before making her next big career move after the series ended.
Cuoco discovered her next big project herself in 2017 when she stumbled upon the Bohjalian novel
"The Flight Attendant." A few months later, she had procured the television rights to
the murder mystery. Cuoco said that she had, quote, "never [been] interested in producing,"
but "The Flight Attendant" changed that, inspiring her to create the Yes, Norman production company.
Cuoco's first production effort earned the actor her first Golden Globe nomination in 2021,
and was renewed for a second season soon after its release. Cuoco also produces the animated
series "Harley Quinn," and voices the titular character. Now that she's in the boss' chair,
Cuoco loves being there, calling it, quote, "extremely rewarding."
Kaley Cuoco is more than ready for fans to witness the second season of her HBO hit series,
The Flight Attendant. In March 2020, the show shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions,
but resumed production in August 2020, according to Variety.
Cuoco had no one around her at first because she simply could not get sick. She said,
"I was just the untouchable human… I understood, but it was sad… It was very,
very bizarre, but everyone respected the plan — and it was pretty brilliant how we finished."
Cuoco's role impressed her former The Big Bang Theory boss, Chuck Lorre, who praised,
"I was worried that I'd be unable to put Penny aside and watch with an open mind,
but she had me immersed in the Cassie character almost immediately."
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.