One of the factors that contributed to the authenticity of the love story between Leonard and Penny was the offscreen bond that Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki shared. Even though the two broke up after dating for only a brief period, the duo didn’t let it hinder their onscreen chemistry and has continued to maintain a special bond outside the realm of The Big Bang Theory.
But one scene after their split-up in the sitcom, brought Cuoco to tears, as the actors thought the decision was influenced by their own personal problems outside the show.
Filming the Difficult Scene Almost Brought Kaley Cuoco to Tears
One of the major factors that contributed to their relationship falling off was Johnny Galecki’s privacy policy, as he didn’t want their bond to be public. However, it wasn’t because of the actor’s personal issues but because he didn’t want to undermine the onscreen bond of Penny and Leonard by taking the audience’s focus away.
So when it was revealed to Cuoco and the Roseanne star that the writers decided to add difficulties to Penny and Leonard’s bond, the duo felt it was a “comment on Kaley and Johnny’s relationship”. But the writers did explain to them that this wasn’t the case and “they were honoring Leonard and Penny”. However, when it came to filming the difficult scene in episode 20 of season 3, The Spaghetti Catalyst, Kaley Cuoco recalled being on the verge of tears.
She said (via Vanity Fair):
I remember being very, very emotional during that episode, and especially during those specific scenes. I think I needed to cry.
This wasn’t the lone time the two doubted their off-screen bond was affecting the show, as following the upsurge in their s-x scenes, they felt Chuck Lorre was having fun at their expense.
There Was No Room for Messing around per Chuck Lorre
While Cuoco and Galecki felt the increase in the s-x scenes between Leonard and Penny after their break-up off-camera was Chuck Lorre‘s way of having fun, the showrunner denied these allegations. Speaking of the matter, the showrunner clarified (via Variety) that their goal was to make a great show and there was no room to mess with someone.
No. Not at all. Making a good show has no room for f-cking with anybody. There’s no Let’s mess with Kaley and Johnny. The goal was to make a great show and make every minute of every episode count. And that was the only goal. We don’t have that kind of freedom to risk a TV series that you put your heart and soul into to mess with somebody’s head. No.
Fortunately, Leonard and Penny would ultimately end up together and at least welcome one kid as we are aware, and the friendship between the actors remains strong.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
