The Lost Movie Role That Had Kaley Cuoco Sobbing Her Eyes Out

Kaley Cuoco has had some huge wins in her television career. She spent 12 years starring on "The Big Bang Theory," and the CBS sitcom became so popular that she scored a raise in 2014, which saw her making $1 million per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Celebrity Net Worth estimates Cuoco's net worth to be $100 million at the time of this writing.

Cuoco almost missed out on the role of Penny, the Cheesecake Factory waitress with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. When she first auditioned for "The Big Bang Theory," it was to play a character named Katie. "I was too young, which I love saying because I don't get to say that I'm too young anymore," Cuoco quipped to TV Insider in 2019. After the show underwent a major overhaul and the Katie character got a peppy makeover into Penny, Cuoco auditioned again and landed the part, possibly beating out future "Captain Marvel" star Brie Larson to get it.

Cuoco would later create her own production company and cast herself in one of her first projects: the HBO series "The Flight Attendant." Her role as Cassie, an alcoholic airline stewardess who wakes up as a murder suspect, earned Cuoco her first Golden Globe nomination. She lost, but the show did score a second season. While she might be a beloved television icon, Cuoco also lost out on a movie role that she desperately wanted — and it wasn't another "Serial Ape-ist" sequel.

After her Golden Globes loss, Kaley Cuoco shared a funny photo of herself drowning her sorrows with booze and junk food on Instagram. It helped her score a role as Smirnoff's new brand ambassador. "It was like I ended up winning awards season even though I had lost over and over and over," she quipped to Bustle. And, after she missed out on a role in the "Knives Out" sequel, she had a similar turn of good fortune.

Speaking to Glamour, Cuoco revealed that Golden Globe winner Kate Hudson beat her out for the part she wanted, even though Cuoco has proved that she's a pro at handling sharp objects and solving whodunits. "I was so convinced [that I got the part] that my bags were packed for Greece," she said. "And then I didn't get it. I was so devastated. And I'm not [normally] devastated over roles. ... I cried and I cried all night long." She was so upset that she initially didn't even want to read the script for another project, "Meet Cute," but she fell in love with the rom-com. "And I would've never gotten it if I [got] Knives," she pointed out.

Cuoco's co-star in "Meet Cute" is the man of the moment, comedian Pete Davidson, whose relationship with Kim Kardashian continues to make headlines. We'd say that the publicity generated by Kardashian possibly showing up at your movie premiere is another pretty big win.