Kaley Cuoco Almost Got Rejected by Big Bang Theory Casting Director

Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar were not in the original pilot. For a very simple reason — their characters, Penny, Wolowitz and Koothrappali, were not in the original pilot.

Or rather, Penny was, but it was a very different Penny. The original Penny was not at all a sweet and likable girl, but a slightly crazy goofball.

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, who starred in The Vampire Diaries and Prison Break, was initially cast as the original, different Penny, whose name was Katie.

However, after the first reading of the script for the roles, it was decided to replace Jodi, and Amanda Walsh was cast for the role.

It is known that Marisa Tomei, now mainly known for her role as Peter Parker's aunt May, also auditioned for the role.

Kaley Cuoco tried to get the role, but she was too sweet for the "other Penny." After the pilot was released, it quickly became apparent that the audience did not like Penny, or rather Katie.

As a result, the first filmed pilot was rejected. But CBS decided to give the show another chance. The main characters became Sheldon and Leonard, Wolowitz and Koothrappali also appeared.

Penny's character was rewritten and it was time for Cuoco to shine because she was finally cast.

Kaley Cuoco became the star of the show, appearing in all 12 seasons of the sitcom. Fans agree that the change of the heroine only played into the show's hands, creating a wonderful character that made the series more lively and sparkling.

"Penny's character has a special charm of being that girl that parties and stuff, but you can just tell just by looking at her that she has a huge heart. I just don't get the same feeling from Katie," Reddit user shakemmz said.

In 2019, the last, 12th season of The Big Bang Theory was released. The filming of the project ended with a fun flash mob of the show crew and cast to the Backstreet Boys song.