The Big Bang Theory presented several romantic storylines on the screen, but behind the scenes, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki had a well-guarded secret of their own. The duo, who played the on-again, off-again couple Leonard and Penny on the show, were dating in real life but wanted to keep their romance under wraps.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki in The Big Bang Theory || Credits: CBS
They established a rather unique way to continue seeing each other and also to not get busted by the hit sitcom’s cast and crew.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki Used a Secret Tactic to Hide Their Early Romance From the Cast
Leonard and Penny’s relationship on The Big Bang Theory had several ups and downs in the sitcom. But despite this, they not only got married, but the ending also showcased the duo expecting their first child together. While this was the story on screen, behind the scenes, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki were keeping a romantic secret of their own.
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki in The Big Bang Theory || Credits: CBS
The actors were actually dating in real life, a fact that most of the cast and crew were unaware of. And the actors themselves made every effort to ensure their budding romance was not out in the open during their first Comic-Con together. As reported by People, the duo attended the convention in San Diego soon after they started dating.
To keep this detail under wraps, they stayed in different buildings as well as separate hotel rooms, but within the same hotel complex.
Cuoco humorously revealed an amusing detail, adding that since they had separate rooms, “We were like little mice in the night,” as they would often sneak back and forth between each other’s rooms. This was just to ensure that they did not get spotted and also to spend quality time with each other. The actress also added that this situation made them feel as if they were acting out a romantic scene from a movie.
After Cuoco, Johnny Galecki also chimed in with his views regarding their entire dating situation. He added that, at the time, their relationship was so new that they hadn’t even informed their closest friends and castmates from The Big Bang Theory.
So, in order to maintain the ruse, they used to exchange goodnight hugs in front of their friends before heading out their separate ways. But after a while, the actress did reveal their relationship to showrunner Chuck Lorre.
While he was concerned about how this would affect their chemistry on screen, he ultimately congratulated her. After this, the duo eventually revealed their relationship to their fellow cast members of The Big Bang Theory.
Cuoco and Galecki Showcased Full Professionalism Even After Their Real-Life Breakup
Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory || Credits: CBS
In the world of Tinseltown, amidst breakups and relationships, the show must go on. This is exactly what Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki did after their breakup in 2010. Interestingly, their real-life breakup also coincided with their on-screen one.
On this, the co-creator of the show added in the same People interview that he was quite “worried” about the Leonard and Penny breakup sequence, as he didn’t want to hurt the actors who had been going through the same thing.
But he also appreciated how the duo handled the entire sequence with remarkable grace. With Cuoco even mentioning to him how one of the sequences felt “surprisingly accurate to something they’d gone through.”
Cuoco further chimed in that their on-screen breakup seemed “oddly similar” to what she was going through with the actor, adding, “I used to think there were cameras in our houses since things felt eerily close to home.”
While breakups are quite tough, the duo managed to fulfill their professional commitments and did not let the end of their relationship affect their work.
You can stream all the seasons of The Big Bang Theory on Max.
