Kaley Cuoco is opening up about one of her boldest beauty choices during The Big Bang Theory — her dramatic pixie cut — and candidly admits it didn’t go as planned.

In an excerpt from The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, Cuoco recalled, “I just f–king cut my hair off and didn’t tell anyone.” She made the decision for an independent film, Burning Bodhi, and shocked colleagues by showing up at the series’ wrap party with drastically shorter hair.

The California native explained that she wanted to “shake things up” and was bored with her shoulder-length hair. She also wanted Penny’s look to align with her new role as a pharmaceutical sales representative. However, Cuoco quickly realized her plan had an unexpected downside.

“I thought by cutting my hair, I would spend less time in the hair and makeup chair, even though I loved the hair and makeup team. And then in my attempt to spend less time on my hair, that decision bit me in the ass and it took way longer to do my short hair. I was like, ‘This is the worst decision! What was I thinking?!’” she shared.

Cuoco added that she often wore her hair up in earlier seasons to save time, but the pixie cut turned out to be high-maintenance and “not easy to style.” Despite the challenges, the actress laughs about the experience now, calling it a memorable moment in her career and a lesson in hair experimentation.