Kaley Cuoco: ‘My tense Amazon Prime thriller unlocked a new fear in me’

Kaley’ Cuoco’s newest thriller leans into the darkness with an unsettling premise (Picture: Bruno Calvo) Kaley Cuoco has quietly proven herself the queen of deliciously addictive action shows, whether playing a trouble-making flight attendant or voicing DC icon Harley Quinn. Those aren’t all, in recent years she’s dived headfirst into the thriller world from dark comedies like Meet Cute and Based on a True Story to action-packed flicks like Role Play. Her latest project, Amazon Prime Video’s Vanished, leans full throttle into the dark and dangerous as she stars as Alice Munroe, an archaeologist who embarks on a dangerous journey of deceit after her boyfriend Tom (Sam Claflin) disappears from a moving train. In fact, it was that very intriguing premise that left the Big Bang Theory star, 40, most shaken of all, as she told Metro. ‘I’m a very insecure, anxious traveller. I’m not like that in my life, but when I’m travelling, the older I’ve gotten, I’ve gotten a little more fearful. ‘I kept thinking: “Oh my gosh, if this happened to me, if I really was on a train and my guy literally disappeared, I would be terrified”.’ To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video ‘It felt believable that [Alice] would stay and see, because your heart never wants to believe a horrible thing has happened. She wanted to stay and figure it out, which totally made sense to me,’ she explained. True crime obsession So, had her time filming shows like Flight Attendant and Vanished changed how she lived her day-to-day life? Added some wariness to the pep in her step. ‘The thought of being on a moving train and someone disappearing is kind of wild, so that’s a new fear unlocked for sure,’ she said about the unsettling imprint the show had left. Although she then added: ‘But no, I have not changed the way I live, even though I probably should. I should probably be saying yes.’ Kaley isn’t just inhabiting this sketchy world on set, in fact, she takes these harrowing stories home with her in the shape of true crime – a genre she is completely fascinated by. ‘I watch a lot of true crime. I watched Dateline in 2020, and then there’s podcasts that I listen to that are probably darker than I would like to admit. Her love for true crime made her realise scenarios like the one in Vanished are more than possible (Picture: Prime Video / Bruno Calvo) ‘That’s where I thrive, it actually keeps me very calm listening to that stuff, which makes absolutely no sense.’ But the allure doesn’t end there, she’s also a big fan of court TV, a staple of US television, it seems. ‘You’re live in court [watching] these insane proceedings. It feels like you’re in court watching. I am addicted. It’s a major problem.’ At the crux of it is the question ‘why some people get stuck in very bad situations’. After all the scenarios she’s encountered, whether real or fictional, she delivers with a grave certainty: ‘I’ve heard way worse things happening than even the situation [in Vanished], so I thought: “oh, this was very possible”.’ Calling the four-episode drama (or as Kaley described it, ‘a chunky movie’) set in France a ‘page-turner’, she added: ‘I like characters where the world is spinning around me.’ Will you be watching Vanished? Yes, I likewise can't get enough of thrillers!Check Want to get bespoke updates on the TV shows you love? Sign up to Metro's TV newsletters and tell us which ones you can't get enough of The 40-year-old screenstar has got stuck into thrillers of all kinds in recent years (Picture: Entertainment/THA/Shutterstock) Working with Sam Claflin As for what it was like bringing the romance between Alice and Tom to life with her scene partner, Hunger Games actor Sam, she had nothing but praise, noting his ‘reputation preceded him’. She reflected: ‘I had never even met him, but I heard so many great things. What surprised me about him, even day one, is that he’s very self-deprecating, which I find so endearing. I’m the same way, so there was an immediate lightheartedness that came with him.’ The series promises several high-octane scenes, usually involving Alice running… and then running some more in some truly heartpounding and outlandish chase scenes. ‘I love scenes like that, [they’re] really fun. I feel like I’m almost getting too old to do stuff like that, so I was glad I had the opportunity to do it on this one.’ When she’s not running, the trauma of the situation is enough to bring her to tears and she had previously recalled one scene where she had to cry for seven hours straight on set. The crying scenes are more exhausting than the stunt ones (Picture: Prime Video/ Bruno Calvo) ‘That’s probably more exhausting than any physical scene. It’s usually the emotional ones that take it out of you, but it’s gotta be in there,’ she said. As for what switches the waterworks on, she doesn’t even have to think about the answer. ‘Thinking about [my daughter]. It’s a thing with your kid. You can’t explain it. It’s very bizarre, but I understand now where they say everything becomes more emotional [when you’re a parent],’ she said. The future of ‘slam dunk’ Harley Quinn Another role that has given her plenty of freedom of expression is voicing Harley Quinn (‘you get a lot of aggression out’) in the hit animation that has run for five seasons, with the hope of making more. Kaley’s iteration of the character went especially viral among the fandom for its refreshing bisexual representation, with Harley and Poison Ivy in a romantic relationship. She glows while discussing her role as the voice of Harley Quinn – and the love for the romance with Poison Ivy (Picture: DC Universe/Everett/Shutterstock) Hailing the show a ‘slam dunk’ and ‘hysterical’, Kaley’s face lit up as soon as the conversation turned to the beloved DC character, ‘[When] she and Ivy had this whole relationship, I think people lost their minds over that, especially the hardcore fans, which was super cool. I really hope we’re planning to do another season.’ If there was, she can’t wait to see what the writers have in store for her next. ‘She’s done a lot already. I just can’t even imagine what they would write for Harley for the next season. ‘Half the stuff that she does and half the stuff that I say, I’m like: “Are we allowed to say this?” I’m always thinking we’re gonna get in so much trouble.’ Beyond Harley, she doesn’t underestimate what an impact her other roles have had, not least Penny from Big Bang Theory – one of her best known ones. She treasures her memories of the Make-A-Wish visits to the Big Bang Theory set (Picture: Shutterstock) Reminiscing on fan interactions, she poignantly recalled the Make-A-Wish visits to the Big Bang Theory set that have stayed with her until this day. ‘We always made a really big deal, and spent time with whoever came. ‘That was very, very memorable, ’cause I just remember thinking: “Wow, this is the thing they wanted to do.” That weighed very heavy on me and I took it very, very, very seriously.  ‘That’s what I always think back to on that show. It touched so many people of so many different ages, at different times in their lives. Kids were obsessed, and grandparents, all different walks of life.’ A return to comedy Kaley doesn’t have any roles she would want to revisit or as she put it: ‘I’m a shark. I don’t swim backwards. We just keep going forward.’ But there is one genre she’s ready to dip her toe back into. ‘I’m hoping this next year, I’m gonna get back to some of the broader, silly comedy that I really enjoy. She’s ready to go back to broader comedy over the next year (Picture: HBO Max/THA/Shutterstock) ‘The over-the-top silliness, not taking yourself so seriously. It’s where I live in my heart and I like making people laugh so that’s where I definitely want to be,’ she said. Then added: ‘I’ve kind of gone one way for a while, so it’d be nice to go there. Switch back up again.’ Still, she’s not quite out of the fictional woods just yet. Play Video I’m a therapist — there’s a vile trend emerging among boys in primary school Inside the 'school wars' spreading over London urging children to 'be violent' Police taking London 'school wars' so seriously they've launched an operation Fans can see her jumping, diving and dodging in Vanished to their heart’s content in a show she hopes stands out amidst the overpopulated thriller crowd as a ‘really fun ride’ that’s ‘super bingeable’ and, as a bonus, ‘beautiful to look at’. ‘You think you know where it’s going, and then it twists again. ‘At least a handful of my friends who have been texting me have been like: “What’s gonna happen?” They have no clue. It’s good that no one is guessing what’s going to happen right off the bat.’ Vanished is available to stream on Prime Video now. Got a story? 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