Kaley Cuoco and boyfriend Tom Pelphrey, who says he “had no idea” about her ‘Big Bang Theory’ fame when they first started dating.Photo:Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Max Original Limited Series “Love & Death"at Directors Guild Of America on April 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Even as things withKaley Cuocogot more serious,Tom Pelphreywas oblivious to his partner’sBig Bang Theoryfame.

TheOzarkstar shared that before he introduced Cuoco to his family, he had “never” seen a single episode of her 12-season stint as Penny Hofstadter.

“Matter of fact, when I first brought Kaley to New Jersey to meet my family and friends, my mom’s partner — who apparently was aBig Bang Theoryfan — was there, and he kept calling her Penny,” Pelphrey, 41, recalled in a newW Magazineprofile.

“I had no clue what was going on,” he admitted. “So I pulled Kaley aside, like, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand what’s happening. Why does he keep calling you Penny?’ She’s like, ‘That’s my character inThe Big Bang Theory.’

“I was completely unaware,” he added.

THE BIG BANG THEORY

TheLove & Deathactor said he is no longer oblivious to Cuoco’s iconic character, and the couple has since enjoyed the CBS sitcom together.

“I’ve watched a few episodes with her since,” he said. “Obviously, she’s fantastic.”

And Pelphrey wasn’t just clueless aboutThe Big Bang Theory.

According to the actor, he had never seen his 37-year-old girlfriend — who has been acting since she was a child — “in anything” before they started dating.

“Look, I live in a cave,” he told the magazine. “Before I met Kaley, I was living in upstate New York on a dirt road in the middle of the woods, without much Wi-Fi.”

“She’s brought me into modern times,” he added.

Tom Pelphrey and Kaley Cuoco in May 2023.Araya Doheny/Getty

Tom Pelphrey and Kaley Cuoco attend an evening “From The Heart” hosted by The John Ritter Foundation at Avalon Hollywood & Bardot on May 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Araya Doheny/Getty

When Pelphrey (who made his small-screen debut with a cameo onThe Burgin 2007) was a child, he crushed on other actresses — but everything changed when he met Cuoco.

“I definitely had a crush onWinona Ryder,” he shared, adding that he thought she was “the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen when I was a kid.”

“But now I have a crush on Kaley Cuoco,” the actor said. “A deep and abiding crush, a love crush on Kaley.”

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Pelphrey and his “love crush” have nowbeen together for more than a yearand share 4-month-old daughterMatilda, as well assix dogs.

Since welcoming his little girl in March, Pelphrey doesn’t have to tune into CBS to get his Cuoco fix — he just has to look at her face.

“I see myself a little bit in her. She’s got one dimple on her left cheek, like I do. Other than that, though, I see Kaley,” he said proudly. “Kaley says she sees me, but when Matilda’s kind of confused or frustrated about something, she makes these faces and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, there’s your mom.’”

Cuoco, however, will argue that little Matilda looks far more like her father.

In May, theMeet Cutestartold PEOPLEthat not only does Pelphrey “just love” Matilda — he resembles her, too.

“She looks exactly like him,” Cuoco said. “And he has a very distinct voice, so when he talks to her, she’s like 360. Her head turns around, and she’s like, ‘I know that voice.'”

“It’s very sweet,” she added.

source: people.com