Being The Ricardos (2021)

Being The Ricardos (2021)

Amazon Studios

My IMDB Rating: 7/10

#whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating: 71%

Social Media

#BeingTheRicardos #PrimeVideo

Written and Directed by 

Aaron Sorkin

Produced by 

Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch

Executive produced by 

Jenna Block, Stuart Besser, David Bloomfield, Lauren Lohman, Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz Jr.

Starring

Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball

Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz

J. K. Simmons as William Frawley

Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance

Tony Hale as Jess Oppenheimer

Alia Shawkat as Madelyn Pugh

Linda Lavin as older Madelyn Pugh

Jake Lacy as Bob Carroll Jr.

Clark Gregg

Nelson Franklin

John Rubinstein

Robert Pine

Christopher Denham

Cinematography

Jeff Cronenweth

Edited by

Alan Baumgarten

Music by

Daniel Pemberton

Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman discusses her character Lucille Ball

“I really knew nothing about Lucille Ball except that she had done ‘I Love Lucy.’ I fell in love with the woman and the way Aaron wrote about her, as well as with Lucille and Desi Arnaz as a couple. You could tell Aaron loved them too, and he loved their fractious and passionate relationship.” 

“The vocal aspect was kind of a high-wire act.  She was a heavy smoker and her voice was deeper and raspier naturally.”

“I studied the black-and-white footage endlessly. My makeup and clothing is just like hers. I learned every quirk, every hand gesture. But I always kept in mind that Lucille created Lucy Ricardo. They are not the same person.” 

“As an actress, she never really got a break when she was younger.  Movies were not her métier. But that is part of what made her resilient. She, with Desi’s support and protection, reinvented herself as a comedy star. But it was all so tenuous and could be taken away by a couple of cheap headlines. That is still very relevant today."

Academy Award winner Javier Bardem discusses his character Desi Arnaz

“He wanted to help Lucille, protect her, hold her — not only because she was the star of the show but because she was his wife, the mother of his kids and an amazing, creative mind.  But there were many things that he could have done better.”