The Big Bang Theory has gone from strength to strength since first airing back in 2007, but it was nearly oh so different.
Kaley Cuoco is now perhaps best known for her role in the show as Penny, the wannabe actress and inspiration behind the Sheldon Cooper three-knock door-knocking system, but had the show’s pilot been accepted Penny wouldn’t even exist.
The female lead originally penned into the script went by the name Katie, and was played by Amanda Walsh…
#CaboLife with @AmandaleeWalsh thanks to @etalkCTV Sorry old life, we're over. #oneandonlypalmilla pic.twitter.com/rNjbUZrVAI
— Carla Gallo (@CarlaPGallo) December 3, 2015
And here she is starring in the hit show’s rejected pilot…
I think they made the right call, eventually.
As reported by Vegas Magazine, it actually took Cuoco three attempts before she was cast into the role.
And the third time certainly was a charm – Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Cuoco now earn a reported $1 million per episode!