Nicole Kidman, Lucille Ball.Photo: Leon Bennett/Getty; Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Nicole Kidmanhas already won over the daughter ofLucille Ballwith her upcoming performance as the late comedy icon.
Kidman, 54, is set to play Ball inAaron Sorkin’s highly anticipated biopicBeing the Ricardos, which follows the comedian and her husband, Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), during a week of production onI Love Lucy. Kidman received the ultimate compliment from the couple’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz, who praised Kidman’s “spectacular” turn as her mother in the upcoming drama.
Speaking toPalm Springs Life, Arnaz, 70, said she visited theBeing the Ricardosset for two days, describing what she saw then as “extremely classy and first rate,” and praising the cast as “really great performers.”
Mike Marsland/WireImage; Kevork Djansezian/Getty
Arnaz applauded Kidman specifically for her performance.
“Nicole did a spectacular job. The two days that I watched, though, were both little flashbacks, so she was playing Lucy in the late ’30s and mid-’40s. She wasn’t Lucy of Lucy Ricardo fame yet, so it was a trifle different,” Arnaz said.
She added, “And I know she meant it to be, so it could feel different. But boy, what she did was astounding. She’s got such poise and class.”
While Arnaz had nothing but praise for Kidman, she told the outlet thatBeing the Ricardosfeatures “certain scenes” that she “wished” Sorkin hadn’t included in the film.
“I couldn’t get my way and have them taken out, but they weren’t accurate. And I thought, ‘That shouldn’t be in there, because that never happened. That’s not true,’ " she said, without providing specifics.
“And it’s not just theatrical license, it just wasn’t true,” Arnaz continued. “And the day they shot the scene, the sprinklers went off on the set and destroyed the whole set.”
Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.Archive Photos/Getty
In a June conversation withChris RockforVariety, Kidman revealed her process behind playing Ball, which involved nailing her dialect.
“I am way out of my comfort zone right now, Chris! I’m free-falling,” Kidman said. “I’d like to be funny. I’m never cast funny.”
The Undoingactress added that she’s “hopefully” funny in the role.
“The strange thing about Lucille Ball is that everyone thinks we’re remaking theI Love Lucyshow, and it’s so not that. It’s about Lucy and Desi and their relationship and their marriage,” she said. “It’s very deep, actually.”
Being the Ricardosalso stars Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg, J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda.
The film does not yet have an official premiere date.
source: people.com
