Kaley Cuoco discusses her crush on co-star Johnny Galecki on "The Big Bang Theory."

 

Kaley Cuoco opened up to Vanity Fair about her relationship with co-star Johnny Galecki, both on and off set.

Penny and Leonard, played by Cuoco and Galecki, respectively, on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, have been mainstays of the show's 15-year run. Their on-screen relationship blossomed into a marriage by the show's tenth season. They were an item from 2008 until 2010.

"I was so not even hiding it," she admitted in an excerpt from A quote from her book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, published in Vanity Fair. Even though we saw other people, I could only think about Johnny. The swagger in his walk is undeniable. Then I realised he was interested in me, too, and thought, "Oh no, here we go."

Galecki, however, remained unaware of Cuoco's feelings for him. Before starting my relationship with Kaley, I had no idea what a crush was. You'd have to hit me with a club to make me realise you're flirting with me; I have a healthy ego.

Cuoco insisted that the two had chemistry even before they started working together and that it showed in the finished product.

There was always something in all the scenes leading up to our first meeting in person. That was the first season in its entirety up until the point where we became an actual couple.

That Halloween episode marked the first time the couple kissed on screen. Cuoco says, "I was feeling good about myself because I knew I looked cute in that outfit." He had already told me I looked cute in that outfit, so I knew he thought I was cute. However, I was quite anxious before that kiss.

Kaley Cuoco as a feline? So, "Come on! The voice of reason: Galecki.

Cuoco elaborated, "I was very nervous with both [our on-screen and real-life first kisses]. Even before we started dating, I had a crush on him and would kiss him in character as Penny.

When filming a dream sequence in which Leonard saves Penny in an elevator shaft in the 14th episode of season 1, titled "The Nerdvana Annihilation," the actors finally gave in to their emotions. Cuoco recalls that she "fell a little in love in that elevator shaft" with him.

Galecki chimed in, "We felt something; yeah, That event marked a major turning point for us, I believe. At that point, we both realised that our feelings were reciprocated and that fighting them would be counterproductive. We decided instead to give in to them.

Johnny Galecki recently broke up with girlfriend Alaina Meyer, with whom he shares a year-old son named Avery, while Cuoco is dating Tom Pelphrey.