In a special featurette of The Big Bang Theory released by CBS, the actor revealed she tried out for the show’s original pilot that never aired. However, the star was unsuccessful. She tried out for the role of a character named Katie (Amanda Walsh), who is worlds away from Penny. But who was she?
Katie was reportedly a saleswoman who worked at the cosmetics counter of a local department store.
She was described as “a street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior”.
When speaking about the character, Kaley described Katie as “a dark, brooding unhappy woman”, the very opposite to the cheerful Penny who moved in opposite apartment 4A in episode one.
However, the role went to Amanda Walsh, who is deemed the “pre-Penny female lead” of the successful sitcom.
READ MORE: The Big Bang Theory: How Sheldon star knew Johnny would play Leonard
The role eventually went to Amanda Walsh, who is deemed the “pre-Penny female lead” of the successful sitcom.
However, producer Chuck Lorre reworked the entire show after CBS turned down its original pilot.
The producer branded the pilot “a mess” due to the fact the team “didn’t really understand the characters yet”.
He added: “We had to go through that failure to understand that if a woman was going to be in [Leonard and Sheldon’s] ecosystem, she had to be gentle with them because they were really vulnerable.”
He began: “I knew instantly, and I couldn’t tell you even now exactly what it was, what quality.” explained Jim, referencing their first read of the sperm bank scene.
“But I know how I felt when I read with him which was very free, there was something so independent about what he was doing.
“I don’t know, I don’t know how to explain it.
“I literally felt it from the very first time we read through it together, it was like ‘well this is different’”
