At the tender age of 24, Kaley Cuoco has already learned how to wow television and film audiences with her charm, beauty and acting prowess.
It is no accident, though, for the star of the quirky CBS Monday night sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory,” since she has been modeling and acting since the even more tender age of six. In fact, when she was a young girl, she captured our hearts in several Barbie doll commercials.
Her current hit show, which is in its second season, is about two brilliant physicists, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), who are challenged in the romance department. But these two CalTech nerds who know more about the universe than dating, are having their lives forever changed by the free-spirited young woman, Penny, (Kaley Cuoco) who literally moves in next door.
Sheldon, Leonard's roommate, is quite content spending his nights playing Klingon Boggle with their socially dysfunctional friends, fellow CalTech scientists Wolowitz and Koothrappali. However, what Leonard sees in Penny is a whole new universe of possibilities...including love.

The producers of Big Bang Theory say that Cuoco’s character of Penny has much more to offer than initially meets the eye. As the series develops, the many fans will see that she is extremely capable.
The producers (Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady) tell us that the back-story is that Penny grew up on a farm and therefore she can fix a tractor. She can also birth a calf, and she can do just about anything that these guys can just sit around and talk about. So, in essence, she is an extraordinary character in her own right, but in a different world than theirs. And despite her often-innocent act, she knows exactly the effect she has on all of the men around her, and in the audience as well.
Prior to playing Penny on “The Big Bang Theory,” Cuoco was best known to television audiences for her role as Bridget Hennesy in the series "8 Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter," starring the late John Ritter and Married With Children’s Katey Segal.
For that show, Cuoco won a Teen Choice Break Through Actress Award of 2003 for her role and was featured in TV Guide's "Generation Now" and Vanity Fair's "Teenage It" lists.
Her first TV role was in 1992's "Quicksand: No Escape" opposite Donald Sutherland. She landed her first feature film role at the age of eight in "Virtuosity". Her other film credits include "Picture Perfect", "Can't Be Heaven" and "Lucky 13".
Her other television credits include a recurring role on "Charmed", and guest appearances on "Ladies Man", "Complete Savages", "My So-Called Life" and "Northern Exposure". Cuoco was the lead in the cable movies "Crimes of Fashion" and "The Hallow", "Alley Cats Strike", "Toothless", "Attack of the 50 Ft Woman", "Growing Up Brady" and the miniseries "Dean Koontz's Mr. Murder".
Additionally, Cuoco lent her voice to the animated series "Brandy and Mr. Whiskers" and "Loonatics Unleashed". She will next be seen in the feature film "Killer Movie".
Cuoco is a gifted athlete, who was a nationally ranked amateur tennis player until she switched to acting full time in 2002. She also has many other outlets for her creativity and massive amount of energy.
When she is not working she also hikes, runs, rides horses, bowls, goes to the gym and spends time with her rescue dogs. She is involved with the Elisabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Animal Avengers and PETA.

DCM: What do you love to do in your free time?

Kaley Cuoco: I would say that other than working, horseback riding is my passion. People can't imagine me getting dirty, but that's what I love about it.

DCM: It sounds like a fun set to work on. So who is the best ping-pong player? There are three tables on set. Kaley Cuoco: Jim is gotten good at the game, so is Simon and Kunal and the rest of the cast. Johnny is the only one who won’t pick up a paddle. All the crew, we play ping-pong all day long. We have tournaments, trophies there. DCM: How about incorporating it into the show?

Kaley Cuoco: We’ve just gotten around to talking about it. I think (the producer) Chuck Lorre is just realizing how important it is around here.

DCM: How about if Penny is the one who beats them?

Kaley Cuoco: That would be kind of cool.

DCM: Anything else of interest there on the set?

Kaley Cuoco: There are some dated People magazines used as props in Penny’s apartment.

I've read every word of every page.

DCM: So it’s a New Year – 2010 – any resolutions?

Kaley Cuoco: I just want to eat better and healthier. Work out more – do everything that is good for me a little more. DCM: What do you eat that’s a problem?

Kaley Cuoco: You know what I love? I love peanut and butter and jelly sandwiches and I could eat several of them a day. DCM: That doesn’t sound that bad for you.

Kaley Cuoco: No, I slather them with the high fat, high sugar peanut butter that’s so bad for you. I need to tone it down. DCM: Do you take vitamins and stuff that are healthy?

Kaley Cuoco: My cupboards are filled with vitamins and supplements, it’s like a pharmacy, but I am so bad when it comes to taking them – it’s like pulling teeth. I put it off. I have been taking calcium.

DCM: How do you work out?

Kaley Cuoco: I love to take my Ipod and go spinning. My Ipod is filled with everything – from Nat King Cole to La Tanya to the Beatles. I am obsessed with music. Johnny and I have Ipod wars in the make up rooms. I want to put my music on and he wants to put his music on.

DCM: But you have headphones with your Ipod right?

Kaley Cuoco: But we like to blast everyone with our music in the make-up room.

DCM: Anything else you do to stay healthy? Any advice for young women who want to look as amazing as you do? Kaley Cuoco: Everything in moderation. That’s my best advice. Deep down people know what’s right for their bodies. You know what the correct thing is for you and that piece of cake isn’t the best thing for you. But to me two bites aren’t going to kill me. I take a few bites. I work out like a freak so if I want a few bites I will take them. I am one of those girls who has to have dessert. I love dessert.

DCM: What would people be surprised to know about you?

Kaley Cuoco: (Laughed) That I order dessert after every meal. I love chocolate – chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream – any kind. And cheese cake.

DCM: So they found the perfect TV job for you, working at The Cheesecake Factory.

Kaley Cuoco: That’s why I can’t go in there, there are 800 cheesecakes…it’s too much.

DCM: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

Kaley Cuoco: People come over to me all the time and tell me how much they love my character Penny and how sweet she is. That she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and that’s really nice because that’s how I want her to be seen.

DCM: Back to the show “Big Bang Theory” - what can we expect from Penny in the future?

Kaley Cuoco: I have no idea. But I can see that she grows every week and that she does something else that is cool. She is so much deeper than the dumb blonde next door, she is smart.

DCM: So she is not just the silly girl next door?

Kaley Cuoco: No. She’s not a blonde bimbo next door who cannot live on her own and can’t take care of herself. I mean she is a very independent woman. She’s young. She’s moving out on her own now. I know she just generally likes these guys, but she doesn’t need them to take care of her. She just wants to hang out with them. She’s very capable. And yet, she has her moments, like we all do. She’s a regular girl next door who loves these guys and wants to hang.

DCM: You sort of grew up on screen: “8 Simple Rules”. Because you were very new at the sitcom world. Now you’re more experienced. How does it feel this time, and how are you approaching it differently than the last series?

Kaley Cuoco: You know, I feel so lucky because I think a lot of actresses have a tough time going from 16 to 18 to 20 to 25 and being able to continue to work. And it’s been really smooth. I was just starting to drive on “8 Simple Rules”, and that whole show was a whole big process for me. I didn’t even know what I was doing. I learned so much. Now I’m playing a young adult, so it’s nice. It’s happened really smoothly.

DCM: Please tell me more.

Kaley Cuoco: I’m so lucky because I think that’s kind of a hard thing for some actors, and I’ve just been able to kind of ride it really nicely. And I thank God I landed here. We were talking about the sitcom thing. I also felt so lucky to get on another one because it’s where I live, and it’s my most favorite thing in the world. So to be able to do it again is just a godsend, so it’s been — I’ve been very lucky.

DCM: You worked with John Ritter, an extremely talented actor, what were some of the things you learned about comic timing from when you worked with him on “8 Simple Rules”?

Kaley Cuoco: That was such an amazing part of my life. Just being around him every day and doing these scenes with him, I was watching and I was learning every day. And he did a take – every take was different. Every time he did it, you didn’t know how he was going to do it. And he made the audience want to keep watching, and it was very interesting. He was just so wonderful to be around, which is part of it too. He made us all want to be there and want to do better. I mean, he was just hilarious, hilarious.

DCM: Once you knew John as a colleague who you were working with, did you go back and see those old “Three’s Company” reruns?

Kaley Cuoco: I loved “Three’s Company”. I would watch Nick at Nite. And when I - we had the table read, I still couldn’t believe he was sitting right next to me. And then, two days later, he had become, like, you know, part of my life, like another father in my life, so it was amazing. It was more family than learning comedy. But working with him was — I probably will never have - I will never work with anyone like that again. I mean it was incredible.

DCM: Of all of them, your character in “Big Bang Theory” has sort of changed the most from the first season.

Kaley Cuoco: Uh-huh.

DCM: And, again, as you guys inhabit these characters - of course, they are written to better, but the place in the group dynamic has changed substantially, which has sort of gone from Twinkie to being these guys' equal. Could you talk a little bit about that?

Kaley Cuoco: I think especially with Sheldon, he has now kind of accepted her, maybe not 100 percent, but he has accepted her now and, I think, after the hug. It was very special. They definitely have - what's great with Penny and each of these guys, they each have a very specific relationship. She's just been, now, I think, accepted, and she totally understands them. And I think she generally likes being around them and is amused, but she enjoys her time with them, too. So I can't wait to see what else happens, you know. Penny has more dimensions to her now – with flaws and problems. She’s no longer just the cute girl next door. She's got a lot of issues. DCM: Some would say that she brings a little baggage, a couple of sky-caps to get her to the curb.

Kaley Cuoco: She's definitely not perfect. She has a lot of stuff going on, too, which is cool. Penny started out as "The Girl Next Door", but they've been writing some really great, fun stuff for me. She's a real girl. She's smart in her own way, and I think I represent the audience like I'm looking at them through the audience’s eyes because they are so different than what we all - what we are all used to, but yeah. I didn't know where the character was going to go, I still don't. But she has totally grown. Penny wants to do things. She doesn't want to waitress for the rest of her life, and she has struggles every single day. And, yeah, she has a lot of depth, especially this season. I'm just absolutely loving it. So it's been really fun for me. It's not just a blonde next door, and I think people thought it was going to start out that way, but it absolutely is not at all.

DCM: Do you have any examples of encountering fans who react to you as if you are your character?

Kaley Cuoco: I went into the Cheesecake Factory a couple of times recently, and I'm always, like, "Why is everyone looking at me?" And they are saying, "Do you know anything about the Cheesecake Factory? We love you. We love you." And I always forget that my character works there. They always give me funny looks, but it's very cute.

DCM: Do you get the employee price when you go there?

Kaley Cuoco: I should. I always forget. It's very funny when they want to know all about Penny. And I definitely appreciate that.