A new HBO thriller was filmed in the capital
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Read the following story by Tatat Bunnag from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Kaley Cuoco has come a long way since her role as Penny, the hot girl next door in the TV comedy The Big Bang Theory. Penny's character was one of the most important ingredients that kept the show going for over a decade. However, now that the show has ended, Cuoco has a brand new show of her own.
The Flight Attendant is a thriller about a flight attendant whose life turns upside down when she becomes involved with a horrific murder case in Thailand. The show is an eight-episode series and recently premiered on HBO GO.
Cuoco herself plays a wild, party-hard air hostess named Cassie Bowden whose plane makes a stop in Thailand. During the flight, she meets a handsome man and the two decide to spend time together in Bangkok. After an all-night party with lots of booze, she wakes up in shock as the man is lying next to her on the bed -- dead.
With no memory of what happened the night before, Cassie flees the scene as she attempts to figure out what happened in order to clear her name. What unfolds is an engaging mystery thriller mixed with some dark humour to keep viewers binge-watching through the holiday season.
We interviewed Cuoco via Zoom about the show.
What appealed to you about this project?
After wrapping The Big Bang Theory, I knew the right thing would come by itself but I didn't know what it was. It may have been another comedy but I wasn’t sure. However, when I actually read the book three years ago [The Flight Attendant], I immediately thought this would make for good TV and what a great character I'd be able to sink my teeth into.
Was is difficult to play the role of Cassie?
I think the challenge was how to play an alcoholic. Yes, the character is fun and likes to party but this is someone who drinks all day, every day. So, trying to play someone who's just constantly at a different level than me without getting obnoxious was something new.
Apart from acting, what was it like taking part as a producer for the new show?
It definitely helped. Being part of the process from the beginning was an unbelievable experience. As an actor, I do my job and see the product in six months or a year later and think how great it is. However, all that time in between is where the magic happens. I had a vision for it and I had a team that helped me bring that to life, so that was really important to me.
The show mixes mystery and thriller. Was that difficult to do?
As an actor, knowing the behind-the-scenes and how difficult the tone was to achieve, it definitely made me rethink a lot of how I was doing things. Because we were so unsure a lot of the time about how we were going to edit, I would give five different reads and each scene would be filmed in at least 10 different ways. So, by the time we got to editing, we would mix and match.
How was filming the first episode in Bangkok?
It was great. I mean the fact that we even got to go there before Covid-19 was a miracle. We shot in the night markets and it was such a beautiful backdrop. We also went to the river and it was amazing as well. We were shooting a scene at the top of a hotel and I actually turned 34 on camera. It’s the most memorable birthday I've had so far.
Section 1: Write the correct answer in the space provided.
1. Which channel is showing the series? …………….
2. Who does Cuoco play in the show? …………….
3. How many episodes are there? …………….
4. The flight attendant meets a handsome man in Bangkok. True or false? …………….
5. The show is based on a book. True or false? …………..
6. Cuoco has played an alcoholic before. True or false? …………….
7. What role did Cuoco have apart from actor? …………….
8. Cuoco spent her birthday working in Bangkok. True or false? …………….
Section 2: Write the noun form of the following words in the space provided.
9. important ……… 10. horrific ……… 11. dead ………. 12. dark ………. 13. memorable ……….
Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
…14… 12 seasons between 2007 and 2019, The Big Bang Theory was a …15… comedy for a whole bunch of reasons. Besides …16… humour, Penny's character was one of the important ingredients that kept the show …17… . “You would think choosing my first new …18…, I would have chosen something with a clearer tone,” Cuoco said. “But I …19… to find one that was all over the place.”
14. A. Doing __B. Spanning __C. Making
15. A. success __B. succession __C. successful
16. A. its __B. it’s __C. it is
17. A. doing __B. going __C. spanning
18. A. project __B. projector __C. projection
19. A. decide __B. decided __C. decision
Section 4: Find words that match the following definitions.
20. alcohol ……………
21. finishing the filming of a show or film ……………
22. a person addicted to drinking alcohol ……………
23. the person who deals with finance for a film or show …………
24. very impolite ……………
Answers: 1. HBO GO. 2. Cassie Bowden. 3. 8. 4. false. 5. true. 6. false. 7. producer. 8. true 27. 9. importance. 10. horror. 11. death. 12. darkness. 13. memory.
14. b. 15. c. 16. a. 17. b. 18. a. 19. b.
20. booze. 21. wrapping. 22. alcoholic. 23. producer. 24. obnoxious.
SCORE 21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
