The Biggest Revelations from The Big Bang Theory Oral History Book
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The cast of The Big Bang Theory are spilling the veloci-tea on their 12 years together.
In Jessica Radloff's oral history book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki detailed how they became a couple off screen while filming the hit CBS sitcom, hiding their relationship from the public and what ultimately led to their breakup in 2010.
Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik looked back on their characters' long-waited first kiss which was filmed under less-than-ideal circumstances.
Showrunner Steve Molaro also revealed a celebrity fan of the show he wanted to guest star as "awful stepsister" to Bialik's Amy Farrah Fowler.
Keep reading for the biggest takeaways from the book....
Michael Yarish/CBS Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) on The Big Bang Theory
Kaley Cuoco had feelings for Johnny Galecki during the early days of filming
Cuoco, 36, admitted to having "a very big crush" on Galecki, 47, before they became an off-screen couple in 2008.
"I was so not even hiding it," she shared. "He has such swagger. We were both dating people at the time, but I only had eyes for Johnny. Then, when I found out he had eyes for me too, I was like, Uh‑oh, this is going to be trouble."
Still, Galecki was oblivious to Cuoco's feelings for him at first, saying "I have a healthy ego, but you really have to kind of club me over the head to let me know you're flirting with me. I had zero idea of any sort of crush before Kaley and I began dating."
However, the pair later realized their mutual feelings and shared a first off-screen kiss after he invited her for a spur-of-the-moment drink.
"I was so excited when he texted me. I was like, Oh my God. And I knew that was going to be trouble — getting a glass of wine with him. I knew. And we kissed at the bar! It's so dark in there that you almost feel like you can do anything, but then it was like, Uh‑oh, I think this is really going to be bad," she said with a laugh.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki attempted to hide their relationship at Comic Con
Cuoco and Galecki tried to keep their relationship on the down-low while attending their first Comic Con in San Diego shortly after becoming a couple.
"We all had different hotel rooms at Comic-Con. There were two giant buildings for this one hotel and Johnny and I weren't even in the same building," she explained. "So we were like little mice in the night, running back and forth to each other's rooms, trying not to be noticed. I mean, who did we think we were? The couple from Notting Hill? That we were just so famous that we couldn't let anyone see the two of us together?"
Galecki added, "And it was still so new that we hadn't told the rest of the cast that we were dating yet, and here they were our closest friends. So we would all be in the hotel lobby, and Kaley and I would give each other a hug and pretend to say good night, and go our separate ways."
However, Cuoco actually did reveal their relationship to the show's creator Chuck Lorre during the fan convention, he recalled being worried for the future of their characters' onscreen pairing but ultimately told her congratulations in the moment.
The pair also later revealed their relationship to their costars
Sonja Flemming/CBS/Getty
Leonard and Penny's Breakup mirrored Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco's real-life split
It was a case of art imitating life.
Following the couple's real life breakup in the spring of 2010, Big Bang writers coincidently decided to have their characters Leonard and Penny also part ways.
"I remember being worried because we were on a trajectory towards a Leonard and Penny breakup, and being concerned that I didn't want to hurt somebody who had been through that recently," the show's co-creator Bill Prady said. "But they were amazing. I remember Kaley mentioning something we had written, and her telling us it was surprisingly accurate to something they'd gone through."
Cuoco recalled that the scenes felt "oddly similar" to what she had experienced with Galecki, adding, "I used to think there were cameras in our houses since things felt eerily close to home."
Despite the off-screen breakup, the pair managed to keep it professional on set, according to second assistant director/director Nikki Lorre.
"It was obviously very hard when it ended for them, but I was just amazed by how professional they always were, and even though it was hard and raw at times, there was always a love for each other," she recalled. "They obviously made a pact that no matter what happens, they weren't letting the end of the relationship affect what was going on in the show."
Michael Yarish/CBS Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory
Creator Chuck Lorre advocated for Sheldon being asexual before meeting Amy
Over the course of the series, Sheldon Cooper (Parsons) never expressed his sexuality or romantic interests.
However, Lorre believed the character's greatest relationship was with science, sharing, "Sheldon's passion was learning; understanding the secrets of the universe. That made him unlike any character I certainly had ever seen. He wasn't trying to find himself in a relationship; he was in a relationship, and it was with science."
Before beginning his relationship with Amy, Lorre explained, "I had, for several years, championed the idea that Sheldon was asexual. He had no interest, which I thought made him remarkable."
RELATED: Big Bang Theory Co-Creator Says Chuck Lorre Almost Turned Down Jim Parsons for the Role of Sheldon
Michael Yarish/CBS Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) on The Big Bang Theory finale
Jim Parsons was sick while filming his first kiss with Mayim Bialik
Fans eagerly awaited the first kiss between Sheldon and Amy after three and half years of waiting, but it wasn't all smooth sailing for the actors while filming the highly anticipated scene, which occurred in season 7 of the hit series.
"I was sick with something, like a bad respiratory cold. And it was ironic because I always took care of myself, and here I am sick during one of the very rare times I have to kiss her," he shared. "And kiss her several times because I knew we'd have to do several takes. I was like, This is unbelievable! I felt bad about it, I really did."
He added, "Mayim is always very game and never one to worry about those things too much, although she did have some sort of thing that she was gargling every time we did a take."
The Blossom alum, 46, recalled him "visibly sweating and feverish, so I rinsed with peroxide in between every kiss, every scene, every take, so that I wouldn't get sick."
However, Bialik said it turned out "so great" despite the "really hard night" of filming. And an added bonus, the actress didn't get sick after the shoot.
Selena Gomez was a Big Bang Theory fan and almost guest starred on the show
After Selena Gomez shared a photo of herself watching the CBS sitcom, Molaro reached out to see if she would be interested in doing a guest appearance on the show.
"After I had heard she liked the show, we approached Selena's team a couple of times to have her on, but it never worked out due to scheduling reasons, etc," he recalled. "I'm a fan of hers and would have loved to have had her on. I never even got to pitch it to them, but I had kicked around an idea that Amy had been complaining about her awful stepsister and what a b---- she was. Which would be news because we didn't even know she had one."
He added that the stepsister, played by Gomez, would have made Amy jealous because she was "beautiful and great."
"It never got further than that. It would have been fun if it could have worked out," he said of the potential guest appearance.
Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty
RELATED: Kaley Cuoco Calls Her Big Bang Theory Pixie Cut the 'Worst Decision': 'What Was I Thinking?'
Kaley Cuoco almost had her leg amputated after a horseback riding injury
Cuoco opened up about a scary horseback riding accident that nearly resulted in her leg being amputated more than 10 years ago.
"That was the darkest, most frightening time in all twelve years [of the show]," Lorre said. "Kaley could have lost her leg. It was a series of miracles that allowed us to get through that and for her to come out the other end of that healthy."
"They were talking about amputating her leg, which was devastating to hear," Galecki added.
In September 2010, Cuoco, who's an avid horse jumper and competitor, was riding at a Los Angeles ranch when her horse got spooked and she fell off. Seconds later, the horse attempted to jump over her but landed on her left leg. Cuoco was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries.
"Before I went into surgery, they made me sign something that said, 'We don't know until we get in there and see this leg, and it could come out that you don't have it anymore.' That wasn't the case, obviously, but I had to sign something that said, 'OK, you can,' " Cuoco said. "Everything ended up fine, and I was up and working a week later, but the doctors acted like I was never going to walk again. It's still too much for me to go into, and it sounded way worse than it was. And of course it was spiraling and everyone was freaking out, which I get. It scared people."
Michael Yarish/Warner Bros.
The cast on being "blindsided" by Jim Parsons' decision to leave the sitcom
Galecki saw his costars "emotionally crumble" when they learned The Big Bang Theory would be canceled after Parsons decided season 12 would be his last.
"But there was a lot of crying in the room. Kaley, in particular," Lorre recalled. "It was a blow. And there was no way to soften it by giving them a heads-up. I didn't know any other way to do it."
Cuoco acknowledged, "The shock of, Oh my God, what is next? was scary. I mean, we cried for hours that day. We thought we were going to do another year, so all of the sudden your life kind of flashes before your eyes. I looked at Chuck and said, 'What are we going to do?' I couldn't breathe. It just felt like a death, but also a new horizon for everybody as well."
Galecki had a similar reaction to finding out the news, saying, "I was shocked. We were just blindsided that day. And not necessarily shocked by Jim's decision, but that he hadn't had that conversation with his castmates first to prepare us. So yes, it could have been handled better. We're a family; have a conversation. And I don't even disagree with how Jim felt, because in many ways, I felt the same way. I just disagreed with how it was managed."
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The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series is available now everywhere books are sold.
