The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco Missed Out On A Major Murder Mystery Movie

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Kaley Cuoco is still, to this day, best known for her role as Penny Hofstadter on "The Big Bang Theory," a show that defined her career for its 12-season run from 2007 to 2019. While this makes sense, I can also see why Cuoco probably wanted to explore very different projects after playing the bubbly blonde who ends up befriending a bunch of dorks and marrying one of them (Johnny Galecki's Leonard Hofstadter), and as it turns out, she had a huge post-"Big Bang Theory" audition that didn't go her way.

In a 2022 cover story with Glamour (one penned by Jessica Radloff, who also wrote "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series"), Cuoco opened up about the fact that she really wanted a role in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," the sequel to Rian Johnson's smash hit whodunit "Knives Out." When Radloff asked Cuoco if there are any roles she wanted after "Big Bang Theory" (or even during) that she didn't get, Cuoco replied:

"Oh, yes. It was actually quite recent. It was the sequel for 'Knives Out.' And I was convinced [the part was mine]. Kate Hudson ended up getting it. But I was so convinced that my bags were packed for Greece. And then I didn't get it. I was so devastated. And I'm not [normally] devastated over roles. I had done chemistry reads, I had done Zooms. And I didn't get it. I cried and I cried all night long. And it went to Kate, who's great."

Hudson did, as Cuoco points out, end up playing Birdie Jay, a fashion designed turned influencer who frequently lands herself in hot water with offensive social media posts (and, along with her other rich and powerful friends, is invited to spend a weekend on the private island of her buddy Miles Bron, played by Edward Norton). Thankfully, another opportunity presented itself before long.

What Kaley Cuoco didn't know is that she would get another huge opportunity right after losing the role of Birdie Jay in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story." As she told Jessica Radloff, the day after she was crying over not joining Rian Johnson's cast, she got a call about the movie that would become her next project: 2022's romantic comedy "Meet Cute," which ultimately starred Cuoco alongside Pete Davidson.

"They were like, 'We have an interesting script,'" Cuoco recalled of "Meet Cute," which she also ended up producing under her company Yes, Norman (named for her beloved dog). Still, she says she almost didn't even bother auditioning, thinking she "sucked" and "nobody" wanted her involved, presumably because she was so upset over losing such a big part so recently. Finally, she was talked into it, especially because Davidson was already set to appear in the Peacock original ... and Cuoco loved it, calling it a "magical little script."

"And I would've never gotten it if I [got 'Knives Out']. It just shows you that you're where you're supposed to be," Cuoco concluded. "I mean, I was gutted over that. And that's when I thought I was on fire, like, I'm for sure getting that. And they were like, 'No, we're going to go with Kate [Hudson].'"

Cuoco did say that she got a little cocky about the whole thing before she lost the part in "Glass Onion" to Hudson. "[But the whole time prior,] I was thinking I was hot sh*t: I'm going to be with Daniel Craig," she admitted, referencing Craig's "Knives Out" lead Benoit Blanc. "This is amazing. But I couldn't be happier with how things turned out."

"And maybe I'll get to audition for the third one," Cuoco said slyly. (She is, I should note, not in the listed cast of "Wake Up Dead Man," the forthcoming third "Knives Out" movie, but Johnson and Craig seem like they'll be doing this for a while ... so there's still time!) Aside from "Meet Cute," Cuoco has produced and starred in a lot of projects since playing Penny in "The Big Bang Theory," including another romantic comedy ("Role Play"), the Peacock original "Based on a True Story," HBO Max's cheeky animated take on the DC supervillain, "Harley Quinn" (where Cuoco clearly has a ton of fun voicing Harley herself), and, of course, "The Flight Attendant."

If I'm personally ranking Kaley Cuoco's post-"Big Bang Theory" work, I'd put her HBO Max shows "Harley Quinn" and "The Flight Attendant" right at the top ... and the latter even earned Cuoco her first Golden Globe and Emmy nominations in her entire career. In the series, which is based on Chris Bohjalian's book of the same name, Cuoco plays Cassie Bowden, the titular flight attendant who, in season 1, wakes up in Bangkok to find her lover from the previous night ("Game of Thrones" veteran Michiel Huisman) dead in bed next to her. Cassie didn't kill the man, named Alex Sokolov, but someone did ... and as she tries to solve the mystery and clear her name, Cassie also struggles with her ongoing alcohol addiction, something that often stops her from seeing the full truth in a situation.

Cuoco joked with Jessica Radloff about the fact that someone she didn't name called her "newcomer Kaley Cuoco" when she scored that first Golden Globe nod in 2021, although she did acknowledge that, aside from star Jim Parsons, the players on "The Big Bang Theory" didn't often get individual awards attention. "'Big Bang' was such a group piece. It was such an ensemble show," Cuoco mused. "And I got to put in my funny sarcasms and my little things, but I wasn't the leader of that show. Sometimes I got to take a backseat, and sometimes I got to shine. And so when I decided to do 'The Flight Attendant,' I was like, 'Are people going to judge this choice, because they see me as a comedic actress?'"

The actor added that she feels like "The Flight Attendant" put her in a "different light," and she's right; Cuoco still gets the chance to wield her considerable comedic timing on the series, but it's much more serious, and she really shines in her role. Even though Cuoco said people now recognize her as Cassie as well as Penny, she would be perfectly happy to be associated with "The Big Bang Theory" forever. "I've always said if I was remembered as Penny for the rest of my career, I'd be thrilled," Cuoco shared. "But there was a shift there, and people felt that I was kind of new on the scene, which I guess in a way I was. But it just makes me laugh. It was like: Wow, that's how they took it. That's fascinating." Unfortunately, "The Flight Attendant" was canceled after season 2, but here's hoping there are more dramatic roles for Cuoco on the horizon.

"The Flight Attendant" and "The Big Bang Theory" are both available to watch on HBO Max. (And while you're there, check out "Harley Quinn" as well. It rules.)