Kaley Cuoco as Billie in Charmed. Photo copyright of The WB.
In today's Sci-Fi Blast From The Past, the beautiful and talented Kaley Cuoco of The Big Bang Theory talks about getting in touch with her magical side and playing a witch named Billie in Charmed.
Everyone at one time or another gets tired of the same old daily grind, even witches. In the season seven Charmed finale Something Wicca This Way Goes, the Halliwell sisters faked their own demise when vanquishing the demon Zankou along with the all-powerful Nexus. The three sisters wanted the mortal world as well as the demon world to believe they were dead so they could begin new lives without the burden of being The Charmed Ones. However, not long after the start of the show’s eighth year, they discover it’s not that easy to let go of their destiny, including their responsibility to protect innocents. That’s where a budding witch named Billie, played by new series regular Kaley Cuoco, comes in.
“Basically, Rose McGowan’s character of Paige is the one who discovers Billie and becomes her teacher,” explains Cuoco. “She and her two sisters, Piper [Holly Marie Combs] and Phoebe [Alyssa Milano], are like, ‘We’re tired of fighting demons. This girl [Billie], however, is really into it.’ That said, my character’s idea of magic is snapping her fingers and fixing up her bedroom. Billie doesn’t realize that witchcraft is a serious thing and that it’s not self-serving but rather to be used to help people.
“She ends up moving into the Halliwell house and the sisters begin training her to be a real witch. Billie is like their shadow and watches their every move. She’s learning as she’s going along and she messes up more often than not, so half the time the sisters want to ‘kill’ her,” jokes the actress. “Billie is such a neat character and a fun one, too. I’m a comedian at heart, and this role allows me to do some comedy because Billie is always getting into trouble. She’s turning into the lighthearted character in the show and that’s been a joy to play.”
Born in Camarillo, California, Cuoco broke into the business at the age of six working after school as both a child model and in TV commercials. She later appeared in small roles on Northern Exposure and My So-Called Life as well as in the made-for-TV movie Quicksand: No Escapebefore making her big screen debut opposite Denzel Washington in the 1995 feature film Virtuosity.
“That was awesome,” enthuses Cuoco. “Here I was, this little girl on a movie set with all these big actors. I remember Denzel Washington taking me for a ride in this convertible that I thought was the coolest thing on the planet. I had a blast. To me, it was like playtime. Yes, I had to do my schoolwork, but otherwise in between scenes I was busy running around eating all the food at craft services and just being a kid. At that age it’s kind of a surreal experience. It’s not until you get a little older that you understand what it is you’re actually doing, In fact, a few years after I did this film, my parents sat me down and explained to me, ‘This is a real job. If you want to keep doing it you have to take it seriously,’ and I said, Yes, I want to keep acting.’”
In 2002, Cuoco became a familiar face to TV audiences when she was cast as the eldest daughter, Bridget Hennessy, in the late John Ritter sitcom 8 Simple Rules…for Dating My Teenage Daughter (a.k.a. 8 Simple Rules).”That show was a life-changing experience for me,” she says. “It was the best comedy lesson I’ve ever had. I got to play not a dumb blonde but one who said funny things and wore trendy clothes. As for John Ritter, he will always be one of the most important people in my life. I’ll never forget him and think about him every day. That first season there wasn’t a moment when my stomach wasn’t hurting from laughing so hard while working with John. He loved us all so much. 8 Simple Rules was and will forever be John’s show. He put us on this path and after he died it was like, ‘You guys have to finish this journey now.’”
This past May, 8 Simple Rules ended after a three-year run on ABC. Coincidentally, Charmedexecutive producer Brad Kern had been planning for a while to bring the character of a young college student/witch into the series, and the actress he had in mind to play the role was Cuoco. “The Charmed producers called and asked if I’d be interested in being on the show,” she recalls. “I had two meetings in two days and was immediately taken with the idea of this character who kicked butt and fought demons.
“I phoned my agent’s office and said, ‘I really want this part.’ They got in touch with the Charmed office to tell them and in 15 minutes it was a done deal. Four days later I was doing a photo shoot with the girls, so it was somewhat of a whirlwind. When I arrived at work that first morning I was nervous, but then I found out I was just doing scenes by myself, and that made me feel a little more at ease. The next day I worked with Rose, Alyssa and Holly and we had such a fantastic time. They’re so nice and so is the crew. Everyone has taken me in and made me feel like a member of their family.”
Like her onscreen persona, Cuoco is getting used to being part of the Charmed world. “It’s quite a difference from shooting a sitcom. My call-time is 6am, which is tough for someone like me who is not a morning person,” laughs the actress. “We also film at a much slower pace. One scene we did yesterday took almost six hours to shoot because there were six of us in it and it required a number of shots. Also, there’s not much time for rehearsal, so you really need to know your lines before you walk onto the set. My biggest challenge, though, has been the dialogue. It’s like speaking another language. I’m talking about demons, vanquishing spells, etc. At first it was tough to remember my lines, but I’ve gotten better, thank God.
“Since this role is also a very physical one, I’ve been taking kickboxing classes and doing all sorts of training in other disciplines to make sure I get all the action stuff right,” continues Cuoco. “They’ve been letting me to do some of the stunt work, which has been great. A few weeks ago I was in a harness and doing flips off the backs of chairs in a movie theatre. My stunt double was there and she performed the more complex moves, but I did some of the front flips and landings with the harness on.
“In the episode we’re currently filming, my character has to kick someone in the face, and then a girl opens a door and hits Billie right in the face. We filmed the latter scene yesterday, only I thought it was a rehearsal. They put a doorstop behind the door to scare the crap out of me. I’m standing there with Rose McGowan and the director says, ‘Rolling and, action!’ All of a sudden this door comes towards me and I go flying backwards. It didn’t hit me, but it frightened the living daylights out of me. They decided to roll on because they figured my reaction couldn’t be more realistic, and they were right. When we watched the dailies it looked very convincing. I can’t wait now for the audience to see it.”
After spending the first few eighth season Charmed episodes under the watchful eyes of just the Halliwell sisters, Billie gets to train with another member of the family. “The next script we’re doing is with me and Brian Krause who plays Leo, and who I think is just adorable,” says Cuoco. “In this story, the girls get fed up with Billie, so they ask Leo to take her to Magic School and spend some time training her. In fact, Billie and Leo end up saving his and Piper’s son Wyatt from demons, so it should be a lot of fun.”
Prior to starting work on Charmed, Cuoco finished shooting an upcoming independent film, Farewell Bender. She’s also the voice of Brandy in the Disney Channel animated series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, and in the fall can be heard as one of the characters on Fox ’s new Bratz cartoon show. “Now Charmed is keeping me very busy and I couldn’t be happier,” says the actress.
As noted above, photo copyright of The WB, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!
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