The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series made several reveals fans knew very little about. Among those reveals, included some of the casting decisions made behind the scenes. One of them, included Kevin Sussman almost taking Simon Helberg's place as Howard.
Another role that changed drastically early on was Katie. The plan was to have a darker character, and Kaley Cuoco would audition for the role as well. Ultimately, the role was not a fit, and Penny would enter the mix.
Even that was a little more complicated, as Cuoco was into the Katie character and feared that Penny would be a background player. Thankfully, she reconsidered and made the right call, as the show thrived with her in a main role.
In the following, we're going to look back at the early stages on the show, and how everything changed at the start following the first table read. Both Jim Parsons and Johnny Galecki were stunned by a firing. Let's take a look back at how it all went down.
Jim Parsons And Johnny Galecki Did 'Accelerated Bonding' After They Got Their Roles On The Big Bang Theory
The story is well known by now, Jim Parsons' audition was so good, that Chuck Lorre struggled to believe that the actor could've consistently given that performance. Thankfully, Bill Prady also had his say, and Parsons turned out to be perfect for the role and the highlight of the show.
Wanting to improve their chemistry instantly, Johnny Galecki revealed that he and Jim Parsons took part in 'accelerated bonding'. The two had a six-hour chat which would lead to lots of different conversations as a way to know each other on a deeper level.
"I like to do what’s called accelerated bonding, where you just share a lot with each other," Johnny Galecki revealed.
"That often requires some wine to open up and be that honest with one another within, like, six hours. [Laughs] And so, we did. We had many bottles of wine and learned we had so many things in common, including that our grandfathers worked for the railroad, and both of our fathers had passed away at a very early age. I think we both passed out on my living room couch at one point. And then we woke up and went to the first reading. Apparently, it went well."
Despite the chemistry between the two, they were in for a big surprise following the first table read.
Jim Parsons Was Shocked After Jodi Lyn O’Keefe Was Let Go After The First Table Read
Jodi Lyn O’Keefe was the original Katie on The Big Bang Theory. The first table read included the Katie character and according to both Galecki and Parsons, things went very well. However, they soon learned that those behind the scenes saw it differently.
Parsons recalls, "We did that table read, and I thought Jodi was great. Afterward, me, Johnny, Jodi and Iris were going to meet at some restaurant."
"Johnny texted me and said, “Hurry up, Jodi got fired.” I mean, we had just done the table read thirty minutes earlier. Johnny, Iris and Jodi were already there when Jodi got a call from her agent saying she was being let go. "
Parsons recalled being stunned by the decision, given how good Jodi was during the read.
"I know when someone’s not good. And Jodi was great. I was stunned. But they realized during that table read that the character’s approach to the other characters was too harsh, too whatever, even though Jodi, in my opinion, nailed what they had written."
Ultimately, it seems like the main issue was with the way Jodi played the role, as it was deemed, too harsh. Although the character got replaced with another actress, soon enough it was gone completely.
Jodi Lyn O’Keefe Apparently Brought 'Too Much Darkness' To Her Role On The Big Bang Theory As Katie
Alongside The Hollywood Reporter, Nikki Valko would also speak out about what really happened with Jodi and her firing after the first table read. It was said that the result wasn't what the show had in mind.
"Jodi Lyn O’Keefe was so good in the original pilot as Katie, but it was just a totally different character. [Jodi] brought a darkness, which just didn’t work, so she was replaced after the table read. We had to recast in three days, so I remember holding auditions Easter Sunday."
The show brought in Amanda Walsh, and even that proved to be temporary. The role was entirely recast as Penny, to which Kaley Cuoco would land the role. It was the right decision, although Cuoco had fears that her role would be a considered a background player. Clearly, that wasn't the case and the actress was a major reason as to why the sitcom enjoyed huge success.
