<P> In the penultimate episode of season 7, "The Gorilla Dissolution", she and Leonard become engaged, after Penny realizes that it is not fame she wants out of life, but happiness with Leonard . Throughout season 8, a running gag is their reluctance to decide upon a wedding date . In the season 8 finale, Penny asks Leonard to marry her that night in Las Vegas . Leonard happily accepts, but during the journey, after Penny expresses happiness that they will get married while knowing everything about each other, Leonard confesses to having shared a drunken kiss with another woman while on the boat in Europe, though he adds that the woman started it and he rejected her . Penny becomes hurt by the revelation, and even though she claims to forgive Leonard, there is clearly tension between them, leaving the season ending in a cliffhanger as to whether or not they will go through with the wedding . </P> <P> At the beginning of season 9, Leonard and Penny marry, although not without some initial problems . They both reveal that they were subconsciously trying to sabotage their relationship, feeling unworthy of the other . After an aborted attempt for Leonard to move into Penny's apartment and live with his wife, Sheldon forces them to spend most of the nights a week in Leonard's old room . Although CBS now refers to the character with the married name Penny Hofstadter, it has not been explicitly indicated in series whether she took Leonard's surname . In season 10, Sheldon moves into Penny's old apartment with Amy allowing Penny and Leonard to live on their own as husband and wife . </P> <P> In the original, unaired pilot of the series, the conception of the female lead was very different . She was called Katie, and was envisioned as "a street - hardened, tough - as - nails woman with a vulnerable interior". Sheldon and Leonard would "approach her with honesty, to draw the real, sensitive Katie out". The role was played by Amanda Walsh . However, the test audiences reacted to the character negatively, seeing her as too mean . Because of this, the character was changed, and the role was recast . </P> <P> Tom Jicha of the South Florida Sun - Sentinel praised Cuoco's portrayal of Penny, stating: "Her character had the potential to be a bimbo, but she (Cucco) has developed it into a fully fleshed - out woman, who isn't as book - smart as the other characters but is wiser in so many ways . She's also a great straight person, who can get off zingers of her own". </P>

Who originally played penny in the big bang theory