Though she\u2019s scaling new career heights with \u201cThe Flight Attendant,\u201d the actor-producer has only ever wanted to do one thing: work<\/strong><\/p>\nSince \u201cThe Flight Attendant\u201d became HBO Max\u2019s runaway hit late last year\u2014one of the then-nascent streaming platform\u2019s first\u2014there\u2019s been a certain narrative about its star and executive producer, Kaley Cuoco: that she \u201ccame out of nowhere.\u201d <\/p>\n
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\nCuoco, who has been working professionally since the age of 5, finds this hilarious; she understands, though, how the story took form. \u201cThere was never a moment where I got tossed to the wolves, where I was like, \u2018Oh, my God, I\u2019m famous!\u2019 \u201d Cuoco says, video chatting from her Los Angeles home. \u201cI\u2019ve been on this slight uphill trajectory my whole career, just slowly working, working, working. I was always kind of here.\u201d<\/p>\n
And she\u2019s right. Having appeared on various television series throughout the 1990s and early aughts, she had amassed 25 IMDb credits by the time she landed her first true \u201cbreak\u201d in 2002 on the three-season comedy \u201c8 Simple Rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being on sets from a young age, Cuoco posits, was a more useful education than any traditional acting class. \u201cI took a few [classes] when I was very, very young, and it just was not for me,\u201d she remembers. \u201cThe whole school of it was just being lucky enough to be on sets and being around adults at a young age, and having a time when I had to be at work and when I had to be quiet [and] memorize my lines. And going to the parties and the premieres\u2014those were my proms.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the real reason the \u201covernight sensation\u201d moniker is such an absurd one to pin on Cuoco, of course, lies in the fact that she spent 12 seasons starring on one of the biggest comedies of its time, \u201cThe Big Bang Theory.\u201d The CBS sitcom from creator Chuck Lorre concluded in 2019 and made Cuoco one of the highest-paid television stars to date, a kind of success too absurd to even dream of.
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Cuoco\u2019s sincere days of pavement-pounding are also frequently lost in her industry narrative. Like any actor, she became exceptionally good at hearing no\u2014and, boy, she heard it a lot. \u201cBecause, if you think about it,\u201d she says, \u201cyou\u2019re being told no way more than you\u2019re being told yes. You\u2019re being told, \u2018You\u2019re not good enough; you\u2019re not pretty enough; you\u2019re not blond enough,\u2019 way more than, \u2018You\u2019re perfect for this.\u2019 And even now, there\u2019s a lot more opportunity, but it\u2019s harder, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been on this slight uphill trajectory my whole career, just slowly working, working, working. I was always kind of here.\u201d
\nTo ease the strain of those especially rejection-heavy days, she supplemented her life with other \u201cloves and likes,\u201d as she calls them: tennis, horses\u2014passions far outside Hollywood. \u201cSo that it wasn\u2019t so depressing,\u201d she says with a laugh. <\/p>\n
Cuoco also learned early on to compartmentalize, a trait she advises every actor\u2014at levels both low and high\u2014to harness. \u201cI can really just shut off. I can be like, \u2018OK, that didn\u2019t work. Move on to the next one.\u2019 I don\u2019t sit in it. It\u2019s a blessing and a curse, because I can really do that in my personal life, even,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it\u2019s helped me in my career. You\u2019ve got to know that you\u2019re not the only person in this position.\u201d <\/p>\n
But, crucially, she has not become jaded. On the contrary, her three-plus decades in the field have given her perspective, along with a profound understanding of just how monumental the wins are\u2014and that they should be celebrated. <\/p>\n
Recently, she and her production company\u2014Yes, Norman Productions, founded in 2017\u2014sold a project they had been fighting for. Afterward, in the parking lot with her team, she started to cry. \u201cI was jumping up and down. And some of my partners were like, \u2018Are you seriously this excited right now?\u2019 \u201d she remembers. \u201cIt was such a moment for them to see me be so excited. But I know better than anyone: Nobody\u2014I don\u2019t care who you are\u2014no one\u2019s handing you anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related\u2018The Flight Attendant\u2019 Creator on the \u2018Crazy\u2019 Recipe Behind HBO Max\u2019s First Big Hit
\n\u2018The Flight Attendant\u2019 Creator on the \u2018Crazy\u2019 Recipe Behind HBO Max\u2019s First Big Hit
\nThat mentality is precisely how \u201cThe Flight Attendant\u201d came to be. As \u201cBig Bang\u201d was coming to an end, she did not expect anyone to just offer her the great next role or project. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like I just had a million options,\u201d she says matter-of-factly. <\/p>\n
Before the long-running series had set an official end date, Cuoco\u2019s team\u2014whom she has now been with for 14 years\u2014saw the writing on the wall. \u201cThey know I can get a little: \u2018We\u2019ll deal with it later! It\u2019s gonna be fine!\u2019 \u201d she says. So it was those people who encouraged her to consider what might be next. \u201cThey were like, \u2018It might not last for 30 years, even though it feels like it\u2019s going to.\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n
She was, at the time, \u201ccompletely uninterested in producing,\u201d but the seed had been planted in her head: If you happen to find an article or a book that triggers an emotional response, you could turn it into a TV show or movie. \u201cOh, that sounds like so much work!\u201d she remembers thinking at the time. \u201cI was so turned off by this idea.\u201d And then, one night, she was perusing Amazon, looking for something new to read. <\/p>\n
\u201cI read one sentence [of a description] that said, \u2018Fun-loving drunk flight attendant wakes up next to a dead body. How does she get home?\u2019 I know this sounds cheesy AF, but I got this really wild-feeling chill,\u201d she says of the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian. \u201cSo I called my attorney and said, \u2018Did Reese Witherspoon already get the rights to this book?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Witherspoon, a pioneer in the actor-producer trend we\u2019ve seen so many Hollywood leading ladies follow these last few years, had not. And the rest was history. It was quickly established that Cuoco would both star in and executive produce the series, going almost instantly from playing a supporting role on a beloved ensemble sitcom to carrying a prestige dramedy that calls upon her acting chops in distinctly new ways. And when executive Sarah Aubrey, whom Cuoco had been pitching, left TNT to head up HBO Max (which was still unnamed at the time), she told Cuoco, \u201cI want to take this with me.\u201d <\/p>\n
Though Cuoco did have something to prove by going after the project so ferociously, she is adamant that it was not a reaction to any fears of being boxed in. <\/p>\n
\u201cI do think a lot of actors coming off a show\u2014drama, sitcom, whatever\u2014that\u2019s the fear. I actually was not worried about that,\u201d she says. \u201cI actually had always accepted: If this is my career, if I am a sitcom [person], that\u2019s great. I was so happy with that life. How could you not be?\u201d<\/p>\n
RelatedThis \u2018Flight Attendant\u2019 Star Stays Booked By Embracing His Queerness + His Blackness
\nThis \u2018Flight Attendant\u2019 Star Stays Booked By Embracing His Queerness + His Blackness
\nShe also insists there was never any need to prove her prowess from an acting standpoint, nor to show off her ability to transition between genres. That said, she certainly appreciates the chance to do so. \u201cI always knew I could do other things. I always loved drama and I\u2019m very emotional, so I can pretty much go to any place at any moment,\u201d she says. \u201cI mean, that\u2019s what makes us actors, right? I do feel that I\u2019ve gotten the opportunity for a whole new career. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good to show other sides, and for people to love it,\u201d she continues. \u201cI have stayed really true to myself and my team. I haven\u2019t tried to conform to what people need me to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though \u201cThe Flight Attendant\u201d is at times very funny (it is contending as a comedy in the awards races), it is also frequently devastating: a brutal character study detailed through one woman\u2019s struggle with addiction, all told through the lens of a compelling murder mystery, unfolding with, at times, wacky situational framing. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a jerk. You can still be taken seriously, you can be a boss, you can get shit done\u2014and you can be nice.\u201d
\nIt\u2019s no wonder Cuoco is sick to death of discussing \u201ctone,\u201d because this show, basically, has all of them. \u201cIf I could tell you how many times that word was used\u2026\u201d she says, deadpan. But striking that tricky stylistic balance did create challenges, particularly from an acting standpoint. Cuoco is, by her own definition, not a huge preparer. \u201cPeople hate hearing that, because they\u2019re just like, \u2018Fuck you,\u2019 \u201d she says. \u201cBut anyone that works with me knows I\u2019m not at home at night, like, highlighting. It has to happen for me in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though working off the cuff may not be everyone\u2019s preferred style, it seems the most natural fit for playing Cassie on \u201cThe Flight Attendant,\u201d a woman who, given her alcoholism and general tempestuousness, isn\u2019t exactly a preparer herself. \u201cIn this show, everything is happening around her. It\u2019s such a reactive character,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd so for me as Kaley to be in the moment, it truly was like, \u2018I have no idea what\u2019s going to happen.\u2019 We used to get to set, and some of these scenes were really long, and I\u2019d say to my director, \u2018Tell me where you want me to start and where you need me to end up.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Even when portraying Cassie\u2019s most emotionally fraught moments, Cuoco does not require a solitary or somber atmosphere. She recalls one day, when such a scene was on the schedule, walking onto a sober-feeling set, which was very unusual for the close-knit production. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018What in the hell is going on here?\u2019 \u201d she recalls. Only later did she learn the crew had been told \u201cthat it was gonna be, like, really intense for me,\u201d she says, sunny as Florida.<\/p>\n
After shooting the scene a few times, the set remained dead silent. So, naturally, she started cracking up. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018You guys! Do you know how I got into character? I am crying so hard right now because I am so hungry, and I am so desperate to eat,\u2019 \u201d she says. \u201cAnd all of a sudden, they all start dying laughing.\u201d <\/p>\n
It\u2019s an anecdote that proves how truly unprecious she is when it comes to her process, but it\u2019s far more revealing of how she led her set as No. 1 on the call sheet. The late John Ritter, her \u201c8 Simple Rules\u201d co-star, used a metaphor to describe the position\u2014one that has stuck with her to this day: a Christmas tree. As in: \u201cHowever the person acts on top trickles down.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can get really good work done, and you can still be nice,\u201d she says with more sternness than she\u2019s shown during the previous 45 minutes. \u201cYou can still be kind. You can still have empathy for your crew. You don\u2019t have to be a jerk. You can still be taken seriously, you can be a boss, you can get shit done\u2014and you can be nice.\u201d <\/p>\n
She lingers on the importance of appreciating one\u2019s crew, without whom, she correctly points out, there would be no TV show. \u201cThey are working so hard for you. There is no reason that you cannot love on them, thank them, empathize with how they\u2019re doing. They have families, too. They have lives, too,\u201d she says. \u201cI think, as actors, we do, a little bit, put our head in the sand, do our job, and go to the next one. But, actually, when we leave is when all the work happens. And then we see it, and we\u2019re like, \u2018Wow, I did a great job!\u2019 Well, 400 people made you look really good.\u201d <\/p>\n
Now that she\u2019s been bitten by the producing bug (not to mention that her production company can now boast \u201cThe Flight Attendant\u201d as part of its repertoire), she plans to do more of it, including a TV project about the life of Doris Day and a screen adaptation of Katie Russell Newland\u2019s memoir \u201cA Season With Mom.\u201d A second \u201cFlight Attendant\u201d season is also currently in preproduction. In short, Cuoco isn\u2019t going anywhere. Why would she? <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always been kind of waving from the corner,\u201d she says. \u201cWorking, happy.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kaley heeft een interview en fotoshoot gehad met Backstage Magazine. Galerij Links: http\/\/: 2021: Shayan Asgharnia (Backstage Magazine) Though she\u2019s scaling new career heights with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,14,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fotoshoots","category-kaley-cuoco","category-tijdschriften"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7702,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7701\/revisions\/7702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charmed-online.nl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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