Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedic TV Actress last night–nabbing the top prize at the only awards decided solely by public opinion. (Except box office–the movie-going public also determines the weekend box office champ. Which shows why Robert Downey Jr predictably won the People’s Choice for Favorite Movie Actor–he crushed at the box office.)
Often there’s a little blowback, a little dip in popularity. when an actor or sports star gets the big contract–as Kaley Cuoco did this summer along with her Big Bang Theory co-stars. It’s hard to be a lovable goofball and sweetheart–male or female–when you’ve got a $100 million deal. When you get paid $1 million for every 22 minutes you’re on the air. People simply judge you differently. Envy creeps into the equation. But somehow Kaley Cuoco is immune to all this. Cuoco is an actress like Lucille Ball that people just can’t get enough of. Her charm and natural dignity protect her from the kind of blowback that actresses like Katherine Heigl, for instance, often receive. The ultimate proof, as superficial as it is? This season Cuoco had the audacity to cut short her long blonde hair, one of the most recognizable manes on television. A move like this can go dreadfully wrong–ask Keri Russell. But Cuoco won the People’s Choice Award sporting her new ‘do.
