Rosie Perez almost turned down role in The Flight Attendant because she "hates" flying
She eventually took the gig after a lot of begging from her co-star Kaley Cuoco
Now, who among us actually enjoys flying? There’s the lines, the stuffy, recycled air, the cramped seating. Also, there’s the feeling of impending doom looming over you as you soar through the sky at hundreds of miles per hour where something bad could happen at any moment. It’s never a joyride.
As it turns out, The Flight Attendant’s Rosie Perez is no different when it comes to her reluctance to board a plane. In an interview on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, the actor shared that she actually turned down the role at first due to her hatred of flying.
“When I first read it, I said, ‘This is a weird show,’” Perez says. “And I turned it down because I don’t like traveling. I hate flying.”
However, she ended up joining the cast after a lot of begging from her co-star Kaley Cuoco.
“The minute her name came up, there was no one else for me—or for any of us. I’m like, how do I get to this woman? A phone call is not enough. This is an icon,” Cuoco said of Perez in 2021. “I need to get in front of her face and do whatever I can. We met for coffee in Brooklyn. She had on this terrifying hat, and I couldn’t really see her face. It was such an immediate love for each other; I felt very comfortable full-on begging her. And she goes, “Well, I don’t really like flying.” And I think, “Does she know this is [a show] about a flight attendant?”
“I was just playing it cool. But the flying thing really was an issue,” Perez tells Noah. “The final deciding factor was when we talked about work ethics. We both have very strong work ethics and a high appreciation that we get to do this, that this is our job. That makes a huge difference. Also, the begging was hilarious.”
Ultimately, Perez shares with Noah that she’s glad she eventually took up the offer to become an integral part of The Flight Attendant, and once she was on board, she knew the show was going places.
“I’m glad that I said yes,” Perez says. “First day, first scene, out the bag, I said, ‘This is going to be a hit.’”
The second season of The Flight Attendant premieres on April 21 on HBO Max.