Along the way, The Big Bang Theory featured several guest stars. Some were loved by fans, while others weren't... Unfortunately, Aarti Mann falls under the 'weren't' category, strictly because of her role as Priya, getting in the way of Penny and Leonard.
In the following, we're going to take a closer look at Mann's involvement, and why the experience was different compared to what she expected. In addition, we'll reveal what the other cast members thought of her behind the scenes, particularly Johnny Galecki.
Finally, we'll take a look at what the actress has been up to since Big Bang came to an end.
From a young age, Aarti Mann had a vision to become an actress in Hollywood. Because of that goal, Mann revealed that she was constantly encouraged by her mom to pursue this goal.
Mann took on several projects along the way, and her most noticeable was on The Big Bang Theory. However, Mann revealed that her character on the show of Priya was completely altered compared to what she had agreed to during the audition stage.
"The character changed completely. Originally she was engaged and she was going to get married and Leonard was her last fling. We rehearsed it over the week and it became just Priya making a booty call," she said with Deseret News.
"It was revealed to me after we shot the show that (executive producer) Bill (Prady) wanted to leave the option open for Priya to come back later in the season.
Mann would also attempt to take on the Priya role with a comedic edge to it, ultimately this was discouraged by Chuck Lorre who wanted a straightforward approach instead.
Mann revealed in the same interview, "Whenever we're rehearsing, I'll try to play it in a more comedic way and (executive producer) Chuck (Lorre) always comes in and says, 'Play it simply. You're beautiful when you're simple.' I'm constantly told to reel it back in. I think I'm giving them what they need for the show. Every sitcom needs their straight man or straight woman."
The window was left open for a possible return, but ultimately it wasn't meant to be.
Following her time on The Big Bang Theory, Mann revealed that her goal was to make a return to commercials, similar to how she started off her career. However, it seems as though Mann kept very busy in both TV and film.
Among her noteworthy cameos since Big Bang aired include Suits in 2013, NCIS: New Orleans in 2015, and Grey's Anatomy in 2017, all for one episode cameos.
Mann has other upcoming projects, one is in a short, Samskara. Mann was also involved with a project alongside Alec Baldwin and Kelsey Grammer, but it remains to be seen if it'll ever be given the green light given that ABC declined the project.
Mann had a blast on The Big Bang Theory and following her exit, she made it clear that a return to the show was of interest to her. Although it wasn't meant to be, Mann received praised from her fellow co-stars, and that includes Johnny Galecki.
He spoke to TV Line discussing Mann behind the scenes, and how Priya made a lot of sense from a character standpoint for the series.
He reveals, "I thought it made a whole lotta sense. She did one episode this season, and we just really loved Aarti [Mann], and her work ethic kind of melded with everybody else's. And it makes sense as far as the characters. She is Leonard's sort of intellectual equivalent, so they're able to communicate more effortlessly than Leonard and Penny (Kaley Cuoco), certainly," Galecki tells TV Line.
Although Priya wasn't a fan favorite, she definitely received a positive reaction from those behind the scenes.
