When life hands you lemons, Kaley Cuoco makes a cocktail.
The lemons in this scenario? The Flight Attendant star losing at the 2021 Golden Globes. And the cocktail? Kaley's brand new partnership with Smirnoff, but of course.
In an interview exclusive to E! News, Kaley discussed how the opportunity to become a brand ambassador serendipitously fell in her lap after an eventful awards season.
Recalling the Instagram snapshot in which Kaley (still dressed in her Oscar de la Renta gown) indulged in comfort food following a disappointing loss at the Globes, she shared, "[It] ended up being a win for me because Smirnoff called and they said, 'That's the kind of girl we want!'"
The actress joked, "I'm like, oh my god, as much as I've lost this awards season, I ended up winning."
Though she returned home from the ceremony empty-handed, Kaley said it was simply a dream to be recognized alongside legends like Schitt's Creek star Catherine O'Hara.
"Honestly, losing to 'Catherine the Great' was the best loss of my life," she told us. "I was her biggest fan and would have voted for her myself."
Describing Catherine as "such a comedic idol of mine," Kaley elaborated, "To just see my name next to her, no one can take that away from me. That's a surreal experience."
Equally as surreal, Kaley shared, is the positive response to her first major role since The Big Bang Theory concluded its 12-season run in 2019. After HBO Max's The Flight Attendant got picked up for a second season, the actress said it felt like she "got this gift of starting over."
As she described to E! News, "I feel like I'm just beginning, which makes crazy sense since I've been in the business for 30 years. But I've gotten this new kind of opportunity and I think with Flight Attendant and me working my ass off to get that thing off the ground, I just have a new appreciation for the business. It's not easy and you can't stop. I don't want to stop."