Doctor Who's Michelle Gomez joins The Flight Attendant, starring Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco
Scottish star was cast months ago, but her role was kept secret until now.
Scottish Doctor Who star Michelle Gomez has joined The Flight Attendant, a new HBO Max thriller series executive produced and starring The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco.
Gomez memorably played Missy in Doctor Who seasons 8-10 and her recurring role in The Flight Attendant was shrouded in secrecy, according to Deadline.
The Flight Attendant stars Cuoco as Cassie, the character of the title, who wakes up in a hotel room in Dubai that she doesn't recognise with a dead man beside her and her head completely blank about what transpired that night. Did she kill the man herself?
Gomez plays a hard-nosed businesswoman "with anger-management issues" who Cassie meets in Bangkok, but how she is involved in the narrative hasn't been publicised. Gomez actually replaced another actress, Sonoya Mizuno, in the role and the producers reworked the storyline and took it in a different direction, hence her casting.
Gomez is currently on screen in Netflix teen fantasy drama Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, playing Mary Wardwell/Madam Satan, but she remains best known for playing the Time Lord's nemesis, Missy (AKA The Master), in Doctor Who, which coincidentally is a key reference point for the geeky characters in The Big Bang Theory.
Gomez recently spoke to RadioTimes.com about being the subject of fan attention for Doctor Who and Sabrina.
"I don’t think any fandom can quite compare to the Doctor Who fandom, who I am eternally loyal to and grateful for," she said. "I mean, that fandom has grown up over 50 years, from generation to generation to generation.
"Sabrina fandom is definitely this generation, because it was born in this generation. It seems to be as passionate as the Doctor Who fans for sure, but you know, it's just the beginning for Sabrina, and we have a long way to go."
Filming on The Flight Attendant was underway until the COVID-19 pandemic halted production in March and Gomez had been shooting scenes, but her casting wasn't announced until now.
Producers expect The Flight Attendant to resume filming later in August. Deadline reported that the series had just started filming episode six of the eight-part series when it was shut down.
Its showrunner Steve Yockey was confident it would be ready to screen on HBO Max in the autumn, "if everything goes to plan".
The dark, comedic thriller is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian.
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