Controversial Big Bang Theory Scene Survived Despite Kaley Cuoco Wanting to Ban It
It was embarrassing for both the actress and her character.
The Big Bang Theory will forever be remembered for its lovable characters and a ton of great moments that made fans laugh their hearts out throughout the show's 12 seasons. However, there were also a few controversial scenes, and even the cast members themselves would rather not see them in the episodes' final cut.
Kaley Cuoco revealed one particular scene that she didn't like, but the show's creator Chuck Lorre insisted it was necessary for the development of her character, Penny.
In Season 7, Penny confessed to Sheldon that, when she just came to LA and was desperately looking for acting gigs, she did a topless scene in a low-budget horror movie. Penny was glad the film never came out and no one would ever see her embarrassing role, but Sheldon immediately admitted he and Leonard had found it online as soon as they first met Penny in Episode 1 of the show.
A few episodes later, the horror film storyline was revisited once again as Penny was offered a role in the sequel — only to be fired shortly after the production began. For Kaley Cuoco, it was a great relief, as the actress still considers those scenes to be the worst.
'The worst experience was filming Serial Ape-ist and getting covered in hair from head to toe. I was like, "Really, you guys? This is what's happening?" the actress recalled, 'And Chuck [Lorre] just thought it was so funny.'
In fact, the showrunner didn't say he liked the scene as such, but he did feel it was important for propelling Penny's character arc.
'The goal was legitimate, which was to put her in a bad movie and see her struggling to make something work,' Lorre explained.
TBBT fans are unsure if the scene was that significant after all. Penny abandoned her acting career after she got fired from the movie, and for many fans, this was kind of disappointing because she was so invested in her dream and viewers hoped to see her become a major star.
Fortunately, Penny ended up becoming a successful pharma sales representative, which is surely a nice career path — but was that cringey Serial Ape-ist scene really important for her development?
Source: TVLine.