FEATURE STORY

Kaley Cuoco makes another ‘Big Bang’ as an airborne model

By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it

It wasn’t her usual kind of job, but it certainly had Kaley Cuoco flying high.

The female star of CBS’ Thursday- comedy hit “The Big Bang Theory” played fashion plate for several days earlier this year, both on the ground and in the air.This writer went along as Cuoco began a photo shoot for the new July/August issue of CBS’ entertainment magazine Watch! at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, then continued it aloft in the first-class cabin of an American Airlines passenger jet. The shoot wrapped up at the plane’s destination: England, on the grounds of Coworth Park Hotel in Ascot, Berkshire.There, Cuoco proved game for anything asked of her — even after almost 48 hours with little sleep, and in outside temperatures in the mid-30s — by veteran celebrity photographer Jeff Lipsky and the Watch! staff. In outfits from a stewardess uniform to the classic blouse and long skirt of a British belle, she enjoyed being the object of such pampering and showcasing.

“I had heard about the idea a while ago, and I actually laughed at it,” recalls Cuoco, who even donned roller skates at one point while airborne.“I thought, ‘There’s no way that’s going to happen.’Then, I didn’t know if they’d ever really do it with me; I just thought my name was circulating along with other people’s, so when it actually happened, I started getting really excited.

“I’ve worked with the magazine a couple of times, and they always do a great job. I had never worked with Jeff before, but I’d heard from a couple of people who love him. It’s hard to know what the photos are going to look like, so you have to trust that the photographer is telling you when things look good. And I believe the team at Watch! would tell me if something was just not right.”

Cameraman Lipsky, whose other recent subjects have ranged from Harrison Ford and Julianne Hough (“Dancing With the Stars”) to Jerry Seinfeld and Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern”), says he “kind of let the location dictate the shots” in photographing Cuoco. Knowing her love of horses, he and his Watch! colleagues arranged for one to be available and prominent in certain shots with her.

“I usually know within the first couple of frames,” Lipsky reflects of assessing the experience he has with the person he’s capturing. He notes that with Cuoco, “I could tell that she knew exactly what to do.There was a lot of nonverbal communication going on, so I didn’t have to direct her too much.That makes my job easier, and it goes by a lot faster. As soon as I get what I need, I can move on and get the next shot.

“She wears clothes really well,” he continues, “and we had the best hair people, the best makeup people, incredible stylists and an amazing location. So really, my job was sort of easy. I just had to put her in the right spots and take good pictures.”

Web Links

Syfy’s “Eureka,” a comedy-drama set in a Pacific Northwest town full of advanced technology and geniuses, returns for the rest of its fourth season Monday. Click on www.syfy.com/eureka/

With or without the character of Myka Bering, Syfy’s “Warehouse 13” returns for a third season on Monday. Get caught up on last season’s cliffhanger at www. syfy.com/warehouse13/

BY MICHAEL KORB