During an episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Kaley Cuoco shocks by name dropping the rude actress who snubbed her on a TV set.
According to the Big Bang Theory alum, 40, she had a “terrifying” experience joining the WB fantasy drama, Charmed, in 2005. The actress received a not-so-warm welcome from Rose McGowan.
“You know, when you do so many things, you just forget about terrible moments?” She asked, before continuing. “Imagine this: I’ve never met anyone. It’s their gallery shoot.”
“I’m the new girl. You’ve got Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, and Holly Marie Combs. I’ve never met them. Think about that. I’m joining their family photo, and I’m 21.”
While she said the cast’s gallery shoot went off without a hitch, Cuoco said things got “dicey” once the co-stars took a break for lunch. “I walk into that gallery, and I am so freaking nervous. It’s on their lunch break. They’re all in the corners, eating.”
Cuoco continued, saying, “I walk in. Alysa Milano sees me, and — I will always tell this story about her — she got up, ran over to me, and welcomed me to the show, gave me the biggest hug in the world, so happy, so kind. I will never forget that.”
But according to the actress, McGowan, 52, was not so happy with Cuoco joining the show. “Rose [was] maybe not as happy. I don’t know. I still don’t know if she likes me. I don’t know.”
“But Alyssa was amazing. I was terrified. It’s a weird thing coming into a show in year eight, and I only did one season.”
Premiering in 1998, Charmed starred Milano and Combs as magical sisters alongside Shannen Doherty. Doherty abruptly left the series at the end of season 3 in 2001, following rumors of on-set problems with Milano, and was replaced by McGowan.
Cuoco hinted more at her tense relationship with McGowan during an interview with the Independent on Saturday, saying, “I came into Charmed really not thinking anything other than I got this cool job. It was intense and difficult.”
“There were a few people on that show that were wonderful to me, and there were a few people that weren’t. I remember them both very clearly.”
According to the Charmed actress, she learned a lesson about how to treat newcomers on set during her career, especially with other projects like Big Bang Theory. “I was very aware of, like, this must be so weird for you. So I always remembered that from Alyssa to this day. I was like that before, but still, you got to go the extra mile in a situation like that.”