Kaley Cuoco on Why ‘Flight Attendant’ Was the Perfect ‘Big Bang Theory’ Follow-Up

Kaley Cuoco in The Flight Attendant on HBO Max
HBO Max

Kaley Cuoco is going from The Big Bang Theory to the upcoming HBO Max original The Flight Attendant, but while the latter is a thriller, there’s some humor to it as well.

In fact, it’s that mix of drama and comedy that makes playing this character the right move for the actress. “I just love the art of making someone laugh and not taking yourself too seriously,” she said at the series’ Television Critics Association digital panel this week.

“This was a great kind of a new path, but it wasn’t so far off that people are like, ‘What is she doing?’ There’s still that levity,” she added. “I loved the drama. I loved being scared. I loved the running. It’s been completely new and different. I’ve really never done anything like it before, and I completely enjoyed it.”

Described as a “dark comedic thriller,” the series is based on Chris Bohjalian’s novel of the same name and explores how one night can change everything. Cuoco stars as Cassie Bowden, a flight attendant who “wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man – and no idea what happened,” the logline reads.

Kaley Cuoco The Flight Attendant Cassie Bowden

(HBO Max)

Cuoco called her character “an actor’s dream.” She’s “extremely, perfectly flawed,” she said. “She’s got a rollercoaster of issue, but a heart of gold and she’s strong.”

The Flight Attendant‘s cast also features Rosie Perez, Zosia Mamet, Michiel Huisman, Michelle Gomez, Merle Dandridge, Colin Woodell, Griffin Matthews, T.R. Knight, and Nolan Gerard Funk.

Joining Cuoco as executive producers are Greg Berlanti, Steve Yockey, Marcie Ulin, Meredith Lavender, Sarah Schechter, and Susanna Fogel, with Suzanne McCormack co-executive producer.

The Flight Attendant, Series Premiere, 2020, HBO Max