October 2009
The temp agency's next call came in mid-October; about two months sooner than I expected, given the pattern thus far. That should have been my first clue that things would be different this time.
Instead of being assigned to do temp work for a show, I had been chosen to be the temporary assistant to just one star of a show. These were different circumstances, but it was technically the same result. Once more, I would be spending time with the funny, beautiful star of one of my favorite shows.
"The Big Bang Theory" had become my main comedy of choice besides my NBC favorites, and now it was starting to really take off as its third season started. I didn't watch it right away when it premiered, yet my dad recommended it to me and I had become hooked after getting the DVDs not too long ago. Part of it was because it was a "nerd comedy" and another was due to how I shared characteristics with the ultra-annoying super genius Sheldon Cooper; which may or may not have reflected well on me.
As such, I certainly wouldn't have minded if I was selected to assist Jim Parsons, a.k.a. Sheldon. But assisting Kaley Cuoco, a.k.a. Penny, was hardly anything to sneeze at. For 10 days, I would be stepping in for her regular assistant and aid the gorgeous blonde actress on the set.
This made me quite proud for a number of reasons. Unlike when Jenna recommended me to "30 Rock" and Tina recommended me to "Mad Men" I doubted that I got this job because of an actress that I had sex with. Christina might have recommended me like the others, yet as far as I knew, she didn't have the connections to "The Big Bang Theory" that Jenna had with "30 Rock" and Tina had with "Mad Men."
So it seemed I got this job for skills that weren't hidden behind closed doors. What's more, I would actually be spending more one-on-one time helping Kaley than I did with Jenna, Tina or Christina. Even if it didn't....end up the way the other jobs had, it would still be a valuable assignment no matter what.
As such, I was in good spirits when I headed to the "Big Bang" set a few days later to meet Kaley. I was told that she was in her dressing room, which brought back a few memories of my last dressing room visit. However, Kaley's dressing room door was completely closed, so I put those thoughts aside like I usually tried to do in the daytime.
I was about to knock on the door, but my good mood and my memories of a popular "Big Bang" running gag inspired me to be more playful. I knocked quickly on Kaley's door three times and called out "Kaley" then did the same pattern twice more just like Sheldon always did when he knocked on Penny's door.
After the third "Kaley" the door was opened on cue just like on the show.
While Penny didn't always smile after Sheldon's door-knocking routine, Kaley Cuoco had a lovely smile to show me when she answered. I supposed that was one way in which me and Sheldon were different after all.
"I figured I'd get that out of the way off the bat," I offered as an explanation.
"No, that's cool. I almost thought you were really Jim at first," Kaley said to blur the Sheldon lines again. "But it's great to see you and meet you too."
She offered her hand and I gently shook it; briefly thinking that I was touching an actress sooner than usual. Yet I filed that away as she invited me inside for more professional purposes.
"I guess it's clear that you're a fan, first of all," Kaley figured out.
"I guess I did give it away. But I promise I'm the nice kind of fan. I know your real name is Kaley and not Penny, I have no interest in giving away spoilers and I won't touch Sheldon's spot on the couch."
"Well, I'm not the best person to lay down the law about that one. But I'm sure I can trust you anyway. I mean, I didn't hear anything about you touching Steve Carell or Tina Fey or Jon Hamm's spots."
There was room to debate about me touching Tina's spots, yet I got what she was really hinting at. "So you have seen my resume. I hope you don't hold it against me that I helped NBC comedy stars."
"Not those ones, that's for sure. I had more 'Mad Men' and Jon Hamm questions ready to pester you with anyway," Kaley joked, although I wondered if she was entirely kidding.
"Yes, he is that handsome in person," I preemptively assured. "But you should know that I mainly did tasks for the show, not him. The same went for the other shows, so this is really my first time assisting someone personally." At least the first time in which my clothes were on, I didn't say.
"If you didn't mess up some of the best shows on TV, I'm sure you can keep me from losing it for a few days," Kaley assured. "I'll need you on standby if I need something on the set, and since I looked up your number, I can call if I need something after work too."
I could take that a number of ways, but there was nothing flirty in her tone of voice; it was still just light and friendly like it had been since she answered the door. I could have been disappointed, given my past encounters and how I was already feeling comfortable and welcome around Kaley. Yet I gave her the benefit of the doubt and vowed to stay focused on the work, especially since it was for one person this time.
"I'll be ready for those calls, don't worry. Is there something you need during work right now? Just so I can get warmed up," I said while hoping I didn't sound needy.
"Well....you already did a pretty good Sheldon, so maybe I can bother you with something." Once she reached for her drawer, I noticed that there was an actual script in it. "You said you wouldn't leak spoilers, so I can test that and do a run through of my lines with you at the same time."
I had been flustered and surprised many times on a TV set before, yet this was in a new context. A less sexy context, but one that I didn't mind. "You'd like me to run through lines from the actual show with you?"
"That is what I said, sweetie. You don't have to repeat what I say after I assign you something. Just for future reference." She still didn't sound annoyed, so I assumed she was kind of teasing me with that warning. Plus the fact that she called me "sweetie" just like Penny usually does kept me in a pleased mood.
I was even more pleased once I helped Kaley run through her lines, especially since this was a Penny vs Sheldon heavy script. This was one where Penny slipped on her bathtub; for "lack of adhesive ducks" according to Sheldon; and driving-phobic Sheldon actually had to drive her. So I got to act out scenes with Kaley that would undoubtedly make fans roll over when she acted this out with Jim on the air. I even got to sing a round of their sick song "Soft Kitty" at the end to cap it all off.
"You know, it's no accident that I can do the knock and sing Soft Kitty too," I commented at the end. "Sometimes I actually feel like Sheldon. I'm not always social, I can talk over people's heads, I probably have some kind of OCD, I have to be dragged into doing new things and I can have a pretty inflexible schedule."
Once I realized these faults weren't good things to mention to a boss, I backtracked. "Not that I'm like that at work at all! I'm completely reliable when I'm ordered to be, trust me. Plus I'm not thin or lanky and I don't understand any science stuff, so I'm not entirely like him."
"So you're just a minor Sheldon, then. Well, that should be child's play for me to handle by now," Kaley reasoned.
"Right. I mean, you battling the major Sheldon is the best part of the show. And that's going to be even clearer after this episode airs," I praised.
"Thanks....that makes it clearer I'm going to like 'battling' minor Sheldon too," Kaley joked as she headed to her door. "Can he walk me to the set before we both get to work?" He did walk Kaley and then did whatever else she asked of him for the next week.
Assisting one person and taking care of their specific tasks is different than doing general work on a set. But while it was more involved, I had enough experience and expertise to get it done. I had to pick up things sometimes, organize some of Kaley's fan mail and other items, and even had to drop off a thing or two at her house. Yet I did my jobs without any trouble, or at least without any trouble that I couldn't handle.
Either way, Kaley was thankful for my efforts. She usually found time to talk to me before and after her time on set; whether we had to go over work or not. I was able to attend a few tapings and laugh along with the studio audience; although the studio audience hadn't ran through some of the lines beforehand.
It was enough of a fun experience that I almost did forget about what was missing; at least compared to my last three jobs. It was ironic since I spent more time with Kaley than the others, and I was just as attracted to her on and off camera as I was with them. However, I made myself not dwell on what hadn't happened and focused on the good stuff that did happen.
But that got harder when my last days on the job came closer. I didn't bring anything up to Kaley so as to avoid any awkward talks. Yet Kaley didn't do the same on my next-to-last night in the studio.
"So, you won't get to see me head home anymore after tomorrow," she stated after she finished work and got back into her regular clothes. "Are you okay with that?"
"Oh...yeah, I'll be fine. I've gotten used to this sort of ending by now. But I'm still going to end on my best behavior and not leave a mess for you before I go," I promised.
"I know you won't," she reminded me. "You know, this is really your last full day here. We should celebrate all the good ones you had before then."