Real-life incidents can sometimes disrupt an actor’s participation in a project. A notable example is actress Kaley Cuoco, who had to miss two episodes of The Big Bang Theory due to a serious injury she sustained while horseback riding.
In Jessica Radloff’s 2022 book, The Big Bang Theory : The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, it’s revealed that Kaley Cuoco and her co-star Johnny Galecki, who portrays Leonard Hofstadter, had intended to pull off a playful prank involving a staged punch. Regrettably, the plan took an unexpected turn, leading to a mishap that affected everyone involved.
In the sixth season episode titled The Tangible Affection Proof, a hilarious prank unfolds during a Valentine’s Day dinner featuring an irate Penny alongside Leonard and their friends, Bernadette and Howard.
Kaley Cuoco reminisced about the scene, explaining, “We were in the middle of a heated argument at the table, and we decided to pull a prank on first AD Anthony Rich. Looking back, it might not hold up as funny today, but at the time, we thought it was a riot. The plan was for our argument to escalate, and then Johnny would pretend to punch me, causing me to dramatically fall off my chair out of view. We executed it, and things got really intense as Johnny approached me.”
Galecki recounted, “She ended up beneath the table, and that’s when I began to act like I was stomping on her face.” Rauch chimed in, revealing that Cucco emerged from under the table with blood on her head, initially leading her to believe it was just a prop. However, the blood was very real.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki’s Staged Punch Took A Disastrous Turn On The Big Bang Theory
Initially, as Kaley Cuoco shared with Jessica Radloff, no one realized anything was amiss. They were all enjoying the cleverly orchestrated prank and laughing together, completely unaware of the situation. It wasn’t until she stood up from the table that the gravity of the moment hit them—she was bleeding quite heavily.
Director Mark Cendrowski astutely noted that injuries to the head or face tend to bleed profusely, making the situation appear far more severe than it actually is. To complicate things further, the production team found themselves unable to adapt to this unexpected challenge.
“Cuts on the head can bleed significantly, and in this case, she was injured right beneath the eyebrow, it started swelling almost instantly, so we applied pressure and ice; the makeup team even attempted to conceal it, but the bleeding persisted. We were trying to lighten the mood with some humor, but we definitely crossed a line with that one”, Cendrowski recounted.
This situation took a turn for the worse! Kaley Cuoco shared with Jessica Radloff that she experienced significant bleeding that showed no signs of stopping.
According to Kaley Cuoco, “It just wouldn’t stop!” By 7 p.m., I had to rush to a plastic surgeon for stitches. The following day on set, there were signs everywhere warning against jokes and rough play! We thought it was hilarious, but clearly, others did not. We had to rearrange the scene on the couch after my dinner with Leonard, and I was facing him. Initially, I was on the opposite side, so we had to style my bangs to hide the stitches and keep the incident under wraps. It was incredibly embarrassing, and the entire experience felt like a complete disaster.”
The crew’s decision to post signs prohibiting pranks and “rough-housing” is undeniably amusing, even if it carries more weight than some of the show’s other guidelines, like the rule against the men growing beards during filming.
However, Mark Cendrowski shared that producing the episode following Cuoco’s injury was quite challenging due to the visibility of her battle scars. He noted that the episode ultimately required special effects to address these issues.
“I tried to avoid filming her head-on when we resumed shooting the next day because the swelling was noticeable,” Cendrowski explained, adding that any visible swelling was later corrected in post-production.
The Big Bang Theory is now available for streaming on Max! Don’t miss the chance to watch The Tangible Affection Proof and see if you can catch any unusual angles influenced by Cuoco’s injury.