PEOPLE
LOS ANGELES — Kaley Cuoco was looking for her next project three years before “The Big Bang Theory” ended. She found it reading a snippet about a book on Amazon.
“The Flight Attendant” is a dark thriller with comedic overtones, letting Cuoco employ the love of laughter she honed for 12 seasons on the CBS comedy. Cuoco said she won a bidding war for the rights to the novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian.
She stars as Cassie Bowden, a flight attendant who wakes up in the wrong hotel in the wrong bed with a dead man, and has no idea what happened.
“It's kind of an actor's dream to play someone like her,” Cuoco said. “She's got a roller coaster of issues but a heart of gold. She's strong.”
Cuoco serves for the first time as an executive producer on the limited series set to air this fall on new streaming service HBO Max.
The series had filmed five of its eight episodes before production was shut down in early March due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Production is set to resume late this month in New York.
Cuoco surprised Rosie Perez by agreeing to meet in her Brooklyn neighborhood to discuss the role of a fellow flight attendant. Perez quickly made it clear how she works.
“I know all my lines. If I forget them, it's because I'm nervous. That's the way I like to work. Otherwise, I get very irritated,” she said.
Then Perez dropped the really important details: she hates traveling and flying or talking before 8 a.m.
Cuoco didn't flinch. “I was like begging her, please, you are the one we wanted from day one,” she said.
Perez took the role and even didn't mind the trip to Bangkok for filming.
“I had the best time,” she said. “It's especially nice for a person of color to come onto a project that is extremely diverse in regards to the cast. You walk on that plane and it reflects how a real flight crew works.”
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LOS ANGELES — Viola Davis, Sterling K. Brown and LeBron James are among several honorees at the AAFCA TV Honors later this month.The African American Film Critics Association announced the recipients of the second annual event last week. The virtual ceremony is scheduled to air Aug. 22.Comedian-actress Aida Rodriguez will host the invitation-only streamed event.“In a time of such uncertainty, we have witnessed how powerful the medium of television and streaming is,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder and president of AAFCA. “We couldn't be more proud to honor shows and performances that uplift and inspire at a time when we all need entertainment the most.”
Davis will be honored for best actress for her role on ABC's “How To Get Away with Murder.” Brown will receive best actor recognition for his character on NBC's “This Is Us.”Kenya Barris will be presented the TV Icon award for his contributions to television with his creating of ABC's “black-ish” and “#blackAF” on Netflix. Rashida Jones will present him the award.By Associated Press
