We’re not too far into the new year at this point, film fans, but there are already a number of entries on the 2024 movie schedule that either have dropped already or will soon. In the latter release bucket is Prime Video’s Role Play, an action comedy starring Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo. The two play a married couple who find themselves in a very precarious situation, due to some professional entanglements on the part of Cuoco’s character. While the production demanded quite a bit of the two stars, they’ve definitely played challenging roles before. So when I spoke to them ahead of the film’s release, I couldn’t help but ask about the gigs that have had the biggest impacts on them.
It goes without saying that both of the stars are tried and tested performers at this point in their careers and have produced excellent work. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to speak to them on behalf of CinemaBlend. The two didn’t seem to have too much trouble choosing the roles that tested them the most. David Oyelowo pointed to his acclaimed turn as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Ava DuVernay’s historical drama, Selma. The British performer explained to me just why he found the process of playing the civil rights leader so “intense”:
I mean, playing Dr. King in Selma was pretty intense. I stayed in character for the three months we were shooting. You know, that's probably one of the ones that it's not that I didn't let it go, but you can just feel you're shedding something. I have four kids and a bunch of dogs and, you know, a family life. That means that, you know, they're not trying to tolerate Dr. King hanging around longer than is welcome. So you got to shed that pretty quickly. But yeah, that was probably probably one that that happened with.
One can definitely understand why that would be such a tough role to put down after months of filming. I’d also agree with the notion of someone’s family not being too keen on having the reverend stick around for so long. The Cloverfield Paradox star’s efforts paid off, though, as his portrayal was spot-on – so much so that Steven Spielberg wanted him to reprise King in another movie.
Kaley Cuoco is arguably best known for her comedic work on shows like 8 Simple Rules and The Big Bang Theory. After she finished the latter though, she made the “humbling” transition to HBO Max/Max’s The Flight Attendant. The show saw her play an airline stewardess, who found herself wrapped up in a murder mystery. Not only did the subject matter weigh heavily on Cuoco, but there are other reasons why her time working on Season 2 was “just 24/7 depression”:
I've done so much lighthearted comedy stuff, so I never get to… I'm not that type of actor where I get too stuck in it. I usually can separate. I do feel like probably the weirdest year of TV that for me was Season 2 of Flight Attendant, because I had so much stuff going on in my personal life. So it was all like, it wasn't that I brought it home with me, but it definitely… That character was so messed up, and I personally felt so messed up. So it felt like it was just 24/7 depression, in a way. It was like, ‘God, oh my goodness. I'm sad. She's sad.’ So that felt a little like, all-encompassing. So when I came out of that, and I kind of find myself again. But that was definitely one that was like, a big sigh of relief, you know, to like, put that down.
Kaley Cuoco: What To Watch If You Like The Big Bang Theory Actress
Around that time in 2021, Kaley Cuoco had split from her second husband, Karl Cook, and it sounds like life wasn’t easy at that point. It’s good to hear the actress – who welcomed her first child with Tom Pelphrey earlier this year – was able to find the light.
The concept of not being able to let a role go is pertinent, in regard to Role Play. The movie centers on happily married couple Emma and Dave Brackett, who seem to be a normal pair. While Dave is mild-mannered, Emma is actually an assassin, who’s keeping that information from her partner and kids and having a tough time discarding her longtime gig. That leads to a number of thrills throughout the film.
It certainly seems like some roles can cut deeper than others and ultimately have lasting effects on actors. Yet it would appear that both Kaley Cuoco and David Oyelowo were able to overcome any obstacles in that regard and re-center themselves after the jobs were done. Surely, they’ll continue to play complex roles and, because of their past experiences, I’d wager that they’ll be strong enough to handle whatever baggage might come with them.
Prime Video subscription holders can check out Role Play when it hits the platform on January 11.
