Though she's now a mega-star in Hollywood, Kaley Cuoco's television career started off on a much more humble level back in 1994, for an episode of My So-Called Life. Since that time, Cuoco has gone on to star in a variety of TV projects that kept viewers tuning in, with CBS' monster hit The Big Bang Theory serving as the apex, at least from a viewership standpoint. But now, the actress has at last broken through the pack and earned her very first Golden Globe Awards nomination for her work on HBO Max's The Flight Attendant, and her reaction is perfection.
The 2021 Golden Globe nominations, which were announced by Sarah Jessica Parker and Taraji P. Henson, featured quite a few surprises and snubs, but it honestly wasn't that much of a shock that Kaley Cuoco landed a nom for Best Television Actress in a Movie or Comedy for her stellar work on The Flight Attendant. For everyone else but Cuoco herself, that is. Check out her awesome reaction to the news in the Instagram video post below.
Because Kaley Cuoco's name was the first one that came up for the Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical category, she barely had time to prepare herself before being flooded by emotions. Flood being the operative word there, as she immediately started to cry, overwhelmed with joy and appreciation. Though she never managed to secure a nomination for any of her twelve seasons as Penny on The Big Bang Theory, it only took one season of portraying The Flight Attendant's loopy Cassie Bowden for the HFPA to sing her praises in the form of a nom. (Thankfully, though, we're getting a second season.)
While that video would have been a complete downer had she not been named, the always appreciative Kaley Cuoco probably had a good feeling that her Flight Attendant performance would get recognized by the Golden Globes. For one thing, the Globes have been far more welcoming to newer projects in recent years, especially those produced by streaming services. (The show itself is nominated for Best TV Comedy or Musical.) And for another thing, Cuoco absolutely gave it her all for Flight Attendant, which definitely stretched her acting skills in a way that audiences hadn't really seen from her before, in a series that few might have predicted she would be perfect for.
To put it simply, The Flight Attendant centers on Kaley Cuoco's alcohol-abusing Cassie, who wakes up next to a dead body covered in blood without any recollection of how the previous night ended. Cassie then goes into gumshoe mode to try and figure out what went down, putting herself into dangerous situations, only to suspect that she might have actually been responsible. While the show is definitely a stress-inducing mystery thriller in some respects, it's also something of a madcap comedy and character study. And while many actresses might have stumbled in handling so many tones at once, Cuoco was at the height of her talents throughout the eight-episode first season, earning big laughs, lots of empathy and playful ire in equal measures.
Kaley Cuoco isn't necessarily locked in to win the category, of course, as she's got some very talented competition. Other nominees for Best TV Actress in a Comedy or Musical include Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), Elle Fanning (The Great), Jane Levy (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), and Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek). Considering Schitt's Creek swept the Emmys with its final season, this is going to be a tough one.
The 78th annual Golden Globe Awards are set to air on NBC on Sunday, February 28, at 8:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to tune in right along with us to see if Kaley Cuoco gets that much-deserved win. (And maybe Bob Odenkirk can win for Better Call Saul, too, to try and reverse the drama's awards luck going into the final season.)
