HomeKaley Cuoco Interview: Kaley Cuoco on How Her Life Inspired Her Role in ‘Based on a True Story’
Last summer, the first season ofBased on a True Storyintroduced a killer type of comedy to television. The series, centering around the world of true crime, tells the story of how Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina), a married couple who find them deeply involved in an unpredictable mystery of their own. Every episode kept audiences on the edge of their seats. That tension seen on the screen wouldn’t be possible without the engaging performances from the show’s leads.
Awards Radar had the opportunity of interviewing Kaley Cuoco, who portrayed the role of Ava Bartlett inBased on a True Story. The star was happy to discuss how aspects from her real life inspired certain traits that could be seen on her character on television. Cuoco was also proud of how the project mixed different genres within a single story. Here are some highlights from the conversation:
Awards Radar: What made you want to be a part ofBased on a True Story?
Kaley Cuoco: A lot of boxes were checked for me in this show. The writing was fantastic. I love true crime. I literally fall asleep toDatelineevery single night. I watch repeats, I listen to murder podcasts. I also grew up playing tennis. There’s a lot of parts from this show that made sense for me. And knowing that I was going to work with Chris Messina was something I really wanted to do, too.
And it shoots in L.A., so I get to be home, which is very rare. It had a tone that felt very comfortable for me. InFlight Attendant, we did a lot of this. The scared, the happy, the funny, the sad. All the things at once. This show has a lot of that. I had a chance to flex that muscle again and play! Because the show is ridiculous, which makes it special. When Chris was like “Ooh, I don’t know about this”, I told him, “The weirder it feels, the better it’s going to be”.
AR: How did working onBased on a True Storychanged your perspective on the true crime genre?
KC: What I’ve always loved about the genre is how hard it is to watch. My partner is always asking: “How can you watch this? It’s so crazy!”. I actually love watching it because it’s giving these people a voice. And if something happens to someone, the family gets to speak, they get to share their story. And if someone hasn’t been caught, it’s a chance for them to be out in the world and they can be brought to justice.
It also soothes me to sleep, which is really weird. Murder should not soothe me to sleep, but it does. I think it’s because I’ve been on television my whole life, which is why I enjoy the real stuff. Where it’s not as fictional anymore.
AR: You and Chris Messina have amazing chemistry on the screen. How did his perfomance as Nathan affect your performance as Ava?
KC: I love him. He’s become one of my dearest friends. We are polar-opposite actors, okay? He is prepared, he wants to talk about the scene, he wants to rehearse. I don’t want to do any of that! We had to learn very quickly how to work together. I dragged him a bit when he needed to be in the moment, and he grounded me when the moment needed to land, to help me get there.
Because everything, to me, is funny. I always try to find the comedy in the darkest moments. He’s been able to help me ground a little bit more, and it’s just been a special friendship. We work great together. I think you can tell on the screen, how much fun we have.
AR: What was challenging about playing Ava that audiences might not know about?
KC: I’m going to say two things. One, was the tone I mentioned. It’s a difficult role because it’s obviously comedic, right? We want to make people laugh. At the same time, we wanted to deal with a serial killer. And we had to take that seriously and give it its own space. It’s a fine line. That’s a little difficult, you kind of never know.
For me, the most difficult part was shooting this show very pregnant. (laughs). I was pregnant (and working) up to three weeks before I had my baby, which was right up until the end. I was grateful that they wrote it in for me, that was very nice of them! I didn’t have to hide it or anything. That was a very special experience. I would say those two things were the most challenging.
AR: Going back to your work onThe Flight Attendant, what is important to punctuate as a performer when it comes to a character slowly descending into madness?
KC: I think it’s very small, small things over the course of the season. It comes down to how you build it and it can be seen in the eyes, and even the hair and makeup. Going out with someone who just had a baby and we’re starting from a different place and trying to find a way back. I think when you’re going down the hole of true crime, which is already crazy as it is, you rely on all those different things while you’re shooting.
Your director and everyone tries to guide you so the audience can go on that ride. But you have to be careful not to go too far in one way, ot too far towards another. You have to walk the audience with you. And that’s what’s kind of difficult, and amazing, about this show. It’s easy to go crazy, so you have to reel yourself back in. I like to go all over the place, so this was the perfect role for me.
AR: Now that the first season ofBased on a True Storyis out, and the second one is on the way, how do you feel about Ava and her journey?
KC: I love this character. She’s a little crazy, she’s a little out there. She’s a really good person and she’s trying to do right by her husband and be a good mom. She’s trying to be a good sister and she’s constantly making mistakes. She’s an awesome character and she’s funny, she’s very witty. I would play this character forever, I love her.
AR: You used to play tennis. How did that influence the role? Are you still involved with the sport?
KC: That was another reason why I loved this show. Because of the tennis background, I love the sport. I haven’t played in a long time, but I have to tell you, I do tune in every once in a while. I just tuned in to the French Open earlier. I was watching and enjoying it! I love tennis because you can play forever. You can take a break and come back. You can play when you’re old. It’s great exercise and I love that it’s a part of our show. We’ve got true crime, tennis and Chris Messina. All my favorite things in one television show.
AR: The best things in life, too! Tennis, true crime and Chris Messina.
