KALEY CUOCO WOMAN ON A MISSION

Kaley Cuoco talks to Us about her new show, Vanished, grappling with mom guilt and what she's got planned for future projects

- By YANA GREBENYUK

Claflin can play charming and adorable but also mysterious," says Cuoco.

Imagine you're on a train headed for a romantic getaway with your dreamy boyfriend, who you think might propose. Except, uh-oh, he's disappeared, and you've been thrust into a dangerous international game of intrigue. That's how we meet Kaley Cuoco's Alice in the miniseries Vanished (MGM+, out now). What starts out as Emily in Paris vibes quickly turns into a thriller that has Alice running through the streets of France searching for the missing Tom (Sam Claflin).

“There would be days I ran, like, 10 miles. I've never been in better shape than I was on this job,” Cuoco, 40, tells Us. “I saw all of Marseille in a month because I ran all over that city.”

Cuoco is used to working hard. Her stacked résumé includes 12 seasons of beloved sitcom The Big Bang Theory, and limited series The Flight Attendant and Based on a True Story. These days, running a minimarathon is no sweat — the biggest challenge of her job has nothing to do with acting.

“I didn't think I should do this,” she says about the decision to leave her fiancé, actor Tom Pelphrey, and their 2-year-old, Matilda, to film on location. “It almost felt indulgent and selfish. Like I was going to live with my friends for two months in France and shoot a show,” she says. Pelphrey encouraged her to go, and she was glad she did: “The minute I got there and called home and knew the family was good, I could totally relieve myself of worrying.” She talks to Us about her new series, dream collabs and being a working mom in Hollywood.

The Flight Attendant, Based on a True Story and now Vanished. What is it about mysteries for you?