In 2017, star and executive producerKaley Cuocowas looking for her next project asThe Big Bang Theorywas winding down.
She chanced upon a summary of Chris Bohjalian’s then-forthcoming novelThe Flight Attendanton Amazon.
She read one sentence and immediately knew she wanted to bring this gripping story to the screen.
Credit: HBO Max
“They said to me, ‘So you read the book?
You love the book?'”
“I said, ‘Oh yeah, I totally read the book.’
HBO Max
And I had not read the book, but I knew I would like it.
Thankfully, she wasn’t wrong.
“I just thought it would be a really multi-dimensional character.
Phil Caruso/HBO Max
Knight) and father (Jason Jones).
ButThe Flight Attendantisn’t a heavy, slow-burn, prestige-chasing streaming drama.
That tonal blend is the result of mixing Yockey’s style with Cuoco’s personality.
“No matter what I do in life, I’m silly.
Thankfully, director Susanna Fogel set her straight.
She [was] right,” says the SoCal native.
“I kind of go into the scenes a little last-minute.
That habit has been an asset here.
“Things are coming at her so quickly, there’s no time for Cassie to prepare.
So in a way there’s no way for me to prepare, either.”
Filming on-location in Bangkok and Italy was also an integral component to pulling off this adaptation.
Going to shoot in Thailand was fantastic; it’s possible for you to’t fake that stuff.
We’re really excited about that.”
Thankfully, they completed all of their overseas travel before the pandemic fully broke out.
Cameras started rolling again in August with added safety protocols.
“It was odd for the first couple days, but then it becomes a new rhythm.
It’s actually been some of our best shooting days,” says Yockey.
If only Cassie could say the same.
Reveals Cuoco: “She hits rock bottom in episode 7 and has such a breakdown.
Every episode is just terror and tears.”
A version of this story appears in the December issue ofEntertainment Weekly,on newsstands now oravailable here.
