Penny

Penelope "Penny" Hofstadter is a fictional character from the American CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actress Kaley Cuoco. She is the primary female character in the series, befriending her neighbors Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), two physicists employed at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Penny's lack of advanced education sets her apart from the group, and her outgoing personality and social aptitude drastically contrast with the personalities of the primary male characters in the series. She is the primary love interest of Leonard, who briefly dates her during the third season. This relationship is later resumed in the fifth season and culminates in their engagement at the end of the seventh season and their wedding at the start of season nine. Development In the original, unaired pilot of The Big Bang Theory, the conception of the female lead was very different. She was called Katie, and was envisioned as "a street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior". Sheldon and Leonard would "approach her with honesty, to draw the real, sensitive Katie out". The role was played by Amanda Walsh. However, the test audiences reacted to the character negatively, seeing her as too mean. Because of this, the character was changed, and the role was recast. Marisa Tomei, Tara Reid, Elizabeth Berkley, and Jodi Lyn O'Keefe were all also considered for the role.