Throughout the twelve seasons it aired over the course of twelve years, The Big Bang Theory never once failed to leave fans in tears — be it those of joy or sadness. But while the onscreen drama had been perfectly tamed offscreen first, many don’t know that the actors, too, sometimes went through experiences that left them absolutely crushed while shooting.
For instance, Kaley Cuoco, who played the fan-favorite Penny in the series, was met with a serious bawling episode while filming one scene for the saga’s twelfth and final season. And, ironically enough, that one emotional breakdown episode was so strong that the entire crew had to engulf her in a massive group hug to make their way through it!
One Big Bang Theory Scene Left Kaley Cuoco “Bawling”
Just like pretty much every other series, The Big Bang Theory cast and crew were also left in tears when they realized that the final episodes of the saga were nearing, and so were their numbered days together on the sets. But for Kaley Cuoco, this feeling reached incredible heights, to the point where she “just started bawling.”
Confessing on The Ellen Show about one particular scene she was shooting with co-star Johnny Galecki in the 12th and final season of the series, Cuoco said:
We were doing a scene before the holiday just blocking. Just us two in it. And out of nowhere, I just started bawling.
Emotional enough? Well, it seems like the 38-year-old actress definitely was. But what’s surprising is that, instead of the others being shocked at her sudden emotional explosion, they all joined in to share her feelings.
As The Flight Attendant star continued to candidly share on The Ellen Show:
The crew and all the camera guys came out and said, ‘We’re so glad you cried, we were all waiting to cry.’ They came out and gave us this huge group hug. And like, we just all cried for ten minutes.
Since the series was nearing its end, it meant that the cast and crew had their final few moments of working together. This was why they were all carrying forward with heavy hearts, with each of them unsure what to do about it until Cuoco finally broke down.
But while this feeling of soon being forced to move on from everything and not return to the sets each day to shoot was one thing, what hit the actress even worse was the announcement that the blockbuster series was going to end with the 12th season being the last one.
The Big Bang Theory Suddenly Ending “Felt like a death” to Kaley Cuoco
Having to leave something behind, something so precious that you get used to it to the point where you’re comfortable with it, is indeed one of the worst feelings in the world, and it all hit Cuoco a bit extra hard. This happened when she found out that the Jim Parsons starrer series would not be resumed for a season 13.
During an interview with Variety, she confessed just how “shocked” and “blown away” she felt after Parsons, the actor who iconically carried Sheldon Cooper throughout the series, claimed he didn’t think he could continue the show. And since they decided on “we came in together, we go out together,” this simply meant a final goodbye to the show.
Additionally, in the book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, Cuoco candidly shared how it all felt to her, saying (via BuzzFeed):
The shock of Oh my god, what is next? was scary. I mean, we cried for hours that day. We thought we were going to do another year, so all of the sudden your life kind of flashes before your eyes. … I couldn’t breathe. It just felt like a death, but also a new horizon for everybody as well.
All of this being said, we’re sure fans, who stood with the series from the beginning and stayed until the end, must have felt the same way after finding out that their favorite series was soon coming to an end. But for a team that had pretty much established itself as a family? The heartbreak was much, much harder than anything ever imagined.
You can stream The Big Bang Theory on Max.
