As you may have read, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are now set to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in the upcoming feature film Being the Ricardos.
Many fans are apoplectic at Kidman's casting, having a hard time envisioning her evoking Ball — especially with Debra Messing right there!
Now, Lucie Arnaz (one of the project's producers) is speaking out about the brouhaha on Facebook, noting that the Aaron Sorkin-penned drama is a "slice of life" and not all-encompassing.
Arnaz urges:
“No one has to impersonate Lucy Ricardo nor do the Vitameatavegamin routine, or the chocolate factory routine or any of the silly things. It’s the story of Lucille Ball, my actual mother, not Lucy Ricardo, and her husband, Desi Arnaz, my dad, not Ricky Ricardo.”
She also clarifies:
“Very little of the show is actually I Love Lucy-type stuff. I don’t think you will be disappointed with that, however... It is a two-hour feature film about these two people and some of the remarkable things they lived through.”
At the end of her message, Arnaz says (playfully):
“Just trust us! It's gonna be a nice film, and P.S. The voting is ovah. I love all of you!”
Sounds like a case of everyone loving Lucy ... a little too much!
Wow. That is a classy, generous lady. I think we do often forget how very different Lucille Ball and Lucy Ricardo were.
The late and wonderful Robert Osbourne (many know him best from his time at Turner Classic Movies. He was my inspiration to become a film historian) is my best source for who Lucille Ball really was. She was very generous to him, wanted to find the right place for him. If that interview is in YouTube, I highly recommend watching it.
Well, I feel a bit better about the film, it’s still surprising casting, but Nicole is certainly a talented actress. And she has a staunch supporter in Ms. Arnaz.