Kaley Cuoco Gives the Performance of Her Career in HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant

Critics have not been paying attention to Kaley Cuoco. For 12 years on The Big Bang Theory, the actor played Penny, a party girl who eventually became the (street-) smartest one in the room. Yet despite the character’s growth over the course of the series, Penny never shook the ditzy stereotype. Perhaps because Cuoco made the role look almost too easy, with a casual eye-roll there or a sarcastic comeback there. In truth her performance was nuanced—comedic timing remains an underappreciated skill.

Now, as HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant is about to, ahem, take flight, critics are lauding her “star turn” and giving backhanded compliments that she’s “(surprisingly) going places” in her first major role since Big Bang. The bottom line? She always was.

As Cassie Bowden, a carefree flight attendant whose life changes after her one-night stand is murdered, Kaley Cuoco is masterful. She alternates swiftly between the physical comedy we’ve come to expect from Big Bang one minute, then moves into a new emotion, downright despair, the next. The show is slick, fast-paced, and visually stunning—but it’s Cuoco’s performance that takes it to another level.

“A lot of people said to me, ‘Oh, you’re obviously trying to get away from the character of Penny and find something darker,’” says Cuoco, who optioned the rights to The Flight Attendant three years ago and also serves as an executive producer. “I really wasn’t. I was super happy playing Penny and was just looking for what the next project would be after Big Bang. When I saw the cover of The Flight Attendant, I got this interesting chill up my spine and thought, Oh, my God, I want to know more.”

These instincts are why Cuoco—and the series—succeeds. She admits she’s not a big preparer (“I like to be in the moment”), but taking on Cassie, an alcoholic, scared her in a way she hadn’t experienced before.

“I thought, Should I be looking at this differently?” she says. “Should I see an acting coach or look into this girl’s backstory?”

Director Susanna Fogel helped Cuoco put things into perspective. “She said, ‘What got you to this point today?’ And I said, ‘I fly by the seat of my pants. I feel in the moment.’”

Fogel’s response? “Why would you change anything that got you to this point?”

“It was the biggest relief,” Cuoco says. From that moment, she didn’t question her process, which allowed her the freedom she needed to channel Cassie’s extreme anxiety and mania. “Susanna was like, ‘If that’s who you are, then that’s how you’re going to do this. It’s not going to change just because the material is a little darker. That’s how you work.’”

The series gets even more complicated as it goes on. After a perfect date in Bangkok with “3C”—the handsome and mysterious stranger from Cassie’s first-class cabin—she wakes up next to his bloody dead body. It’s obvious Cassie didn’t kill him, no matter how drunk she got the night before, but who did? And why? And how is Cassie going to get out of this mess?

In another actor’s hands, Cassie’s journey would be a lot less fun—and intense. You’re always in the moment with Cuoco, whether it’s through her fast-talking exchanges with best friend/attorney Annie (Zosia Mamet) or in heartbreaking scenes with brother Davey (Grey’s Anatomy alum T.R. Knight). You might not want to be friends with Cassie, but you care about her despite the chaos. It’s like playing whack-a-mole. You have no idea what will happen next, whom to believe, or where to look, but it’s fun trying.

“I really fell in love with her,” Cuoco says. “As many mistakes as she makes, I wanted to fight for her. I knew she’d make for a great TV character. On top of that, I got to do everything as an actor. There’s all this range I haven’t been able to show, in probably, ever.”

HBO Max drops the first three episodes on Thanksgiving, November 26, and two episodes a week after that. It’s a show you’ll want to binge, but take the time to savor the heart-pounding, darkly-hilarious thrill ride you’re about to go on.

“It took months, probably even a year, to nail down what this show was visually going to look like,” Cuoco says. “I’ve been part of every detail of this process from day one. I remember every piece of that clothing I worked with [customer designer] Catherine Thomas on because this girl is fucking cool, even if she’s falling apart.”

Appearances, after all, are deceiving. Penny would be the first to tell you that.

Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram at @jessicaradloff14.

Originally Appeared on Glamour