I was too young, which I love saying because I don’t get to say that I’m too young anymore
Kaley Cuoco
Penny was initially called Katie and it appears bosses just did not take to the character or Cuoco in the role.
Can fans imagine The Big Bang Theory without one of their favourite characters and actresses?
Cuoco sees the initial rejection as something positive now as the episodes and years have passed by.
She recently admitted: “I didn’t get [the role of Katie] the first time around. I was too young, which I love saying because I don’t get to say that I’m too young anymore.
“Then, a year later, I heard they were doing it again, and they brought me back in to read for Penny.”
How the course of history could have been so different for one of the US’s favourite comedy sitcoms.
The actress has played the role for twelve years and her character has become an integral part of the show, typified by her relationship with Leonard Hofstadter (played by Johnny Galecki).
Not only was the actor rejected but the character was initially scrapped and was not even called Penny.
Warner Bros president and chief content officer Peter Roth told TV Insider: “In the first pilot, the character of Penny [originally named Katie] was not as appealing as the proverbial girl next door.
“It was not the actress [Amanda Walsh] but rather the conceit of the character. Fortunately, Nina Tassler, then-president of CBS Entertainment,