Kaley Cuoco Recalls “Terrifying” Encounter With The Big Bang Theory Fan

Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco is no stranger to encounters with fans. After playing Penny on the popular sitcom for twelve seasons, Cuoco’s built up quite a fan base who recognizes her even when she’s travelling. And while most fan encounters are pleasant, some aren’t. That includes one “terrifying” encounter Cuoco had while on a plane that involved a flight attendant and Sheldon Cooper’s (Jim Parsons) infamous triple-knock.

Speaking with USA Today, Cuoco recounted an experience in which she didn’t quite get the fan’s intended joke making for a frightening and perhaps confusing situation.

“I was in my seat. I was really engrossed in this movie and out of nowhere — and I know the flight attendant thought this was very funny and in hindsight, maybe she now regrets it — she came up and she went ‘Penny, Penny,’ and she started knocking at me,” Cuoco said. “And it was, like, terrifying. And I could tell [from] her face, she goes, ‘I’m so sorry,’ I’m like, ‘That’s OK, [but] why are you knocking?’ It wasn’t registering. And she was so sorry and I said it was very OK.”

Cuoco also shared that most of her in-flight fan encounters are more pleasant.

“A lot of times, I’ll walk up and down the aisle, if I’m going to the bathroom, whatever, and I see a lot of screens with Big Bang playing,” she explained. “Sometimes, I’ll wave [to fellow passengers] or give them a little nudge. It’s very cute.”

Even though Cuoco didn’t recognize the flight attendant’s knocking, Cuoco does have a good sense of humor about the iconic triple-knock. Earlier this year, the actress’s Man From Toronto co-star Pierson Fodé shared a TikTok video of Cuoco recreating the moment from the season 2 episode “The Monopolar Expedition” in which Sheldon (in the video played by Fodé) knocks on Penny’s door only for Penny to knock back.

Cuoco is presently starring in HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant, based on Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 novel, and in addition to starring as lead Cassandra Bowden Cuoco is also executive producing alongside Greg Berlanti, Steve Yockey, Marcie Ulin, Meredith Lavender, Sarah Schechter, and Suzanne McCormack.

The Flight Attendant is now streaming on HBO Max.

What do you think about Cuoco’s fan interaction? Let us know in the comments.

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