TBBT Penny’s Worst Hairstyle Decision Has Much Messier Backstory Than Everyone Thought

The Big Bang Theory wasn’t necessarily a show that saw its characters radically change their appearance that much throughout the whole run of more than 10 years, but one major change once caught both viewers and creators off guard.

The show’s season 8 opened with a revelation that Penny, portrayed by Kaley Cuoco, had her hair cut short, something that provoked even more nasty jokes from Sheldon and sometimes from other members of the gang.

However, Penny’s hairstyle change had nothing to do with The Big Bang Theory’s script — in fact, the sitcom’s creators were probably in a much deeper shock than anyone else.

Why Did TBBT Penny Cut Her Hair?

A while ago Cuoco revealed that the haircut wasn’t even her personal decision since she did it only for her role in an independent indie movie Burning Bodhi. The film’s production process took place around the same time that The Big Bang Theory season 8 started shooting, so there was actually no way for the actress to have some time to let her hair grow back.

According to Cuoco, she then showed up at the show’s wrap party with the brand new look, leaving everyone, especially The Big Bang Theory co-creator Chuck Lorre, horrified about how this major change would eventually affect the series’ ratings.

Aware of the fact that the hairstyle is actually one of the essential things to be careful about while on set, Lorre was deeply concerned about whether the viewers would actually like it or not.

Penny’s short haircut in fact left quite many fans dumbfounded and sometimes even disappointed, though the whole matter was eventually turned into a joke popping up every so often in the lines of some characters stating that Penny’s new hairstyle wasn’t her best decision.

Ironically, Kaley Cuoco was also the one to agree with this statement.

The actress admitted she immediately regretted having her hair cut, even though it was still necessary for her character’s look in Burning Bodhi, as she genuinely thought she was “cutting off all this time, because I hated going in and getting ready. That’s why I was wearing my hair up so much in season six and seven. So then I cut it and it ended up being more work because it wasn’t easy to style.”

Source: Glamour