Peacock’s comedy thriller series starring Kaley Cuoco, “Based on a True Story,” features Chris Messina and Kaley Cuoco as the married couple, Ava and Nathan Bartlett. The show exposes the true crime obsession of the American audience in a subtle and darkly comedic jab. The story revolves around real estate agent Ava (Cuoco) and her tennis player-turned-club pro-spouse Nathan (Chris Messina).
The originally written plot did not have any kids in store for the Bartletts. The plot is thickened due to Cuoco’s pregnancy which elevates the stakes for the seemingly broke couple who start a podcast with a serial killer in the hopes of making a fortune. The show features Tom Bateman as the serial killer Matt Pierce, Priscilla Quintana as Ruby Gale, and Natalia Dyer as Chloe Lake.
The 37-year-old actor states, from experience, the series’ tone is comparable to Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” the two-season thriller drama about an airline employee and CIA informant featuring Cuoco as the protagonist, Cassandra Bowden. The show earned the actress two Emmy nominations for her exceptional performance. However, one element that was incorporated into the show later was Cuoco’s pregnancy. The crime comes writers had to include Ava’s pregnancy due to the fact that Cuoco was pregnant in real life. The creators admit to including that aspect of the eight-episode series much later.
Also Read: Kaley Cuoco’s Dating History: The Big Bang Theory Star’s Relationships So Far
Kaley’s Experience with Pregnancy on the Show
She describes this act of walking a tightrope as “something I feel that I’m good at, riding the wave of comedy and terror and fear and jokes and all the things mixed in − sadness. It had everything, and that’s what I love.”
In addition, Cuoco relished the opportunity to embrace her pregnancy during filming. On March 30, she gave birth to her daughter Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey with her partner, actor, and “love of her life” Tom Pelphrey (“Ozark“). She was urged to gain weight, stating that it was a freeing experience while filming the show “Based on a True Story,” a first for the actress who has been an actor ever since she was a young girl.
“I remember one of our producers and our showrunner was like, ‘You need to eat more.’… And I was like, ‘I have never heard that before!’ So, I’m like, ‘Sure! Happy to!’ It was freeing.”
“You’ve seen every part of my life − good and bad − in front of everyone. And so it was kind of cool to show this too,” she says. “Why not? Why not just own it and wear short shirts and let my stomach hang out? I did the swimsuit scene, and I did all these different things, and it felt right. And I’m very proud of it, and I hope it inspires other women to be like, ‘It’s fine. We can still do it all.'”
Also Read: Best TV Shows to Binge Watch (June 2023)
Kaley on pregnancy cravings and her views on sex scenes
She claims she overindulged in In-N-Out burgers and had a strange craving for ice “all the time.” For Cuoco, being so forthright and honest about her pregnancy felt natural. Cuoco, who refrains from sex scenes, left a body double who donned a belly prosthetic to fulfill Ava’s sensual aspirations and fantasies.
“I don’t roll that way. I need someone else to do that stuff,” she explains.
“I’m past that. I’m not doing that anymore,” she adds. “Also, who wants to see that? Not my thing. I’d rather let someone else do it, and that’s what movie magic is for. We don’t have to do those things anymore. We can have someone else do it, and we can fake our way through. Do you think that Chris Messina played tennis? Please! He was terrible! That’s his double,” Cuoco joked playfully.
Cuoco is particularly appreciative and grateful for the stunt doubles who had her back as her belly grew in size each day.
She goes on to share other experiences of her pregnancy from the set. “I had to be on my feet a lot. It was a lot,” she says. “And by the end, I was nine months pregnant. So, the fight scene at the end near the grave − the fantasy − a lot of that was done by my double because it was like I was literally about to give birth, like any second.”
Also Read: 16 Best Movies and TV Shows of Jim Parsons
Will “Based on a True Story” have a second season?
Despite the fact that Peacock has not yet revealed if its dark comedy will return for a second season, viewers are aware that the finale leaves room for more. Ava and Nathan are found by a buddy who is cleaning up a victim’s blood after the killer forces them to clean up a murder.
“It’s not like they can erase what they did, so I almost feel like should they just keep going in what they’re doing?” Cuoco also has hopes for her and Messina’s character to become a “sillier kind of Bonnie and Clyde” in the later seasons of the show. “There’s no way out at this point. So, they might just be turning (to) a life of crime. But now they’re going to have a kid, which is going to cause a lot more problems.”
Also Read: Ozark’s Julia Garner Cast For Madonna Biopic
