Before earning the role of Aunt May in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marisa Tomei was almost selected to be a part of The Big Bang Theory family. Recent revelations surfaced regarding unaired pilot episodes and several characters that were cut from the final show.
One of the characters that failed to make her appearance in the show was Marisa Tomei’s character Katie who almost had a chance to replace Kaley Cuoco’s iconic role of Penny.
Marisa Tomei’s Character Was Cut From The Final Draft
Before there was Kaley Cuoco’s charismatic Penny, there was a canceled character of Katie. The initial draft of the 2007 series did not have Penny among the many numerous characters that the show had created.
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It was The Hollywood Reporter that got a sneak peek of the upcoming book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series by Jessica Radloff. The book offers the details and changes that were done before and during the series and works as a behind-the-scene for the show spanning 12 seasons!
The original draft featured a character by the name of Katie who is described as a “cynical, down on her luck, and off-putting” neighbor of Leonard and Sheldon. Marisa Tomei was initially selected for the role and would’ve made it into the series too if it weren’t for the changes in the script and introducing the character of Penny into the show.
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Jim Parson’s Audition With Marisa Tomei
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During the early days of The Big Bang Theory when Marisa Tomei was selected as Katie, she had an audition with Jim Parsons. Jim Parsons, who is known for portraying the character of Sheldon Cooper told about his experience during the audition.
“I had the part of Sheldon for a long time before everything was settled. I read with Marisa Tomei. Johnny [Galecki] was cast by then, but he was doing a play in New York. I had come back to read with her. I remember going to the snack room after we were done and telling Ken and Nikki [Valko, casting director], “I’ve never been in someone else’s audition before!” And they said, “Well, she was kind of really auditioning you.” And I went, “Oh, that makes sense.” But oh my gosh what a different world that would have been.”
The character of Katie was the completely opposite of what Penny was during the entire run of The Big Bang Theory. Katie was cynical, down on her luck, and off-putting while Kaley Cuoco’s Penny was enthusiastic, confident and a bubbly person overall. The Big Bang Theory with its inception in 2007 ended the series in 2019 with 12 seasons to its name.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on HBO Max. The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series by Jessica Radloff is expected to be available for sale from 11th October 2022.
Source: Screenrant
