DC Universe at TCA:  Kaley Cuoco Returns to TV as “Harley Quinn”

Beverly Hills, CA -- Kaley Cuoco didn’t have to wait long for her first gig after the long-running CBS hit The Big Bang Theory.  In fact, it came along while she was still playing Penny – and it’s a job that would send Penny’s pal Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and husband Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) into nerdgasms.  “I think they’d think it was the hottest thing in the world!” she laughed during an interview at the Summer 2019 Television Critics Association tour.  “I’m sure they wished an episode had been written about this, so yeah, it’s in their wet dreams for sure.”

She’s not kidding.  Cuoco (third from left in photo at top) is providing the voice of the iconic title character in Harley Quinn, an upcoming animated series based on the mallet-wielding, mega-popular DC Comics anti-heroine (who used to be a straight-up super-villain).  “You know, to be honest with you, it started with a call from [Warner Bros. Television Group President] Peter Roth, who is a dear friend to all of us,” Cuoco told reporters.  “[He] said, ‘Do you want to be Harley Quinn?’  I was like, ‘Fuck yeah, I do!’

“He goes, ‘That's the right answer because that's basically what she says -- a lot!’” Cuoco added with a laugh.  “I was so flattered that he called.  Then, I met with [the producers].  They showed me all the drawings and what they were doing, and we just thought it was the coolest thing ever.”

Steve Gidlow

Steve Gidlow, a long-time columnist for MediaVillage ("Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"), has written about television and pop culture since 1994, beginning in Australia.  Since moving to Hollywood in 1997, Steve has focused on celebrity interv… read more