The Big Bang Theory was a nonentity for Tom Pelphrey before he met partner Kaley Cuoco.
Celebrated for his electrifying turn as Ben Davis in Ozark, Pelphrey came out with the surprising admission during a recent chat to W. Asked if he’d ever watched Cuoco’s geeky sitcom, which aired for 12 seasons up until 2019, the actor admitted he actually had no idea about the huge show or her character.
“Never. Matter of fact, when I first brought Kaley to New Jersey to meet my family and friends, my mum’s partner — who apparently was a Big Bang Theory fan — was there, and he kept calling her Penny,” he recalled.
“I had no clue what was going on.”
“So I pulled Kaley aside, like, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand what’s happening. Why does he keep calling you Penny?’ She’s like, ‘That’s my character in The Big Bang Theory.’ I was completely unaware. I’ve watched a few episodes with her since, and, obviously, she’s fantastic.”
Somehow, he’d actually managed to miss everything she’d ever done on screen.
“Look, I live in a cave,” the star joked. “Before I met Kaley, I was living in upstate New York, on a dirt road, in the middle of the woods, without much Wi-Fi. She’s brought me into modern times.”
The power couple welcomed their first child together back in April of this year, a daughter named Matilda.
“We are overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle,” Cuoco shared on Instagram.
“Thank you to the doctors, nurses, family and friends who have helped us immensely over the last few days. We are blessed beyond belief @tommypelphrey didn’t think I could fall even more in love with you, but I did.”
