Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos”

[Faulkner]

First teaser… hmm.

First poster:

 

[I Am A Swede]

I'm not sure about this....

I can't really see Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball.  

[Faulkner]

Yeah, they really wanted to keep her face hidden. I can hear that she tried to do the voice, which, ok…

[KMan101]

Yeah. Still not sure about this either. I know Kidman can 'transform' herself but all I can think of is Bewitched and how bad that was when I hear she's playing Lucille Ball. LOL. I'm trying to keep an open mind as, of course, this movie is very different than that hot garbage.

 

I feel like for movies like this they go for a 'star' instead of finding the right actor to embody the person. But who knows, she may surprise us? I like the tone of the promo but I'm just not sure. I think it was more 'highlight the trademark red hair' more than hiding Nicole's face but it could be both. I mean, it's Nicole Kidman playing Lucille Ball. Hence why they probably could have gone for someone else.

Edited October 19, 2021 by KMan101

[Faulkner]

Yeah, someone like Debra Messing probably wouldn’t secure international investors (or Oscar buzz), but NK would. I’ve heard other people suggest Cate Blanchett.

[I Am A Swede]

That's exactly who I was thinking of. I know it isn't fair to compare, since this movie is obviously going to be more behind-the-scenes than re-enactments of the show, but Debra did such a great job portraying Lucy on "Will & Grace".

[KMan101]

 

Exactly. I'm not saying get Messing (as Faulkner said below, NK gets them attention), but get someone who more embodies the role. But I guess they're going for a different kind of movie so I'm willing to give them some leeway on the iffy casting of literally everyone. We'll see.

 

 

Yes to Cate Blanchett. She was attached at first but then replaced by Kidman. Seriously.

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/01/nicole-kidman-replacing-cate-blanchett-sorkin-being-the-ricardos-1234608713/

 

I forgot Lucie Arnaz was involved. I like she takes care/control of her parents image but I do question this one.

 

There was definitely some 'flack' online about Kidman taking on the role.

[Faulkner]

Right! Totally forgot. One Aussie for another.

[KMan101]

 

lol I totally did too until you mentioned her and then it hit me

[DramatistDreamer]

This was the chance to cast two under-the-radar actors who could truly transform themselves and melt into their roles in the way that Halle Berry (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge), Judy Davis (Judy Garland), Adrien Brody (The Pianist), Jonathan Rhys Myers (Elvis Presley) did with the real life people they portrayed but instead, they chose to go with two stars who will have viewers trying hard to forget that it's Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem playing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

I'm not sure I would have cared for Debra Messing either (been there, done that).

I get it, people think big stars and Oscar winners are a slam dunk but why not have an open call or again, actors who are still under the radar, who won't make viewers strain during the entire movie to forget who they are IRL?

[I Am A Swede]

Exactly! And if lesser-known actors never got a chance then they would never become big stars or Oscar winners....

I'm sure there are other examples, but the one that comes directly to mind is the casting of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind". She was definitely not a big name in 1938, but she got the role anyway, even though practically all the big names in Hollywood wanted the role, and we all know the result.... 

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[ChitHappens]

Can't wait to skip this!  

Noticed how they focused very little on actually showing Kidman in the promo?  

[Cat]

Nicole Kidman face-on was nowhere in that trailer! Did we even spy her face for longer than 2 secs? We saw her back, her hair, her hand... very, very odd promo. And not a good sign.

She does try to get Lucille Ball's vocal cadence, but it's not as raspy as Ball's voice was, and I can still hear a touch of Nicole's Australian.

And it's not just NK. Javier Bardem in this trailer is basically Bardem in spectacles. 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Cat

[DramatistDreamer]

Even her cadence is off to me, so I didn't even need to see her face. I have seen some 'stills' from the film and wasn't liking what I saw there either. I did see a bit of Bardem and am skeptical of him as well. The story is not just about Lucille Ball, it's about both Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Hollywood today is not really about giving chances to anyone, let alone new actors. Making money supersedes everything, Hollywood wants the "sure thing". In the old studio system in the days of Louis B. Mayer, etc. under the old Hollywood boss hierarchy, actors were contracted to a studio, where they'd keep a so-called stable of talent in reserve for projects, including "fresh faces". That wasn't a very good system either because it wasn't very humane. Some actors would be fortunate enough to get meaningful work and breakout success, while others would practically languish waiting for their opportunity to be in a starring or even good supporting role. In the meantime, the studio practically "owned" them, which means they were tethered to that studio and had to refuse work if it emerged from elsewhere, unless an even more powerful studio boss could extract them out of their contract. Even Leigh herself would go on to have problems with depression and many have speculated much of that depression (the part that didn't have to do with personal and romantic difficulties) had to do with feeling the constraints of that studio system.

But I digress (a lot, sorry).

If nothing else, I wish the casting call would have been more "open". It's obvious to me that Kidman and Bardem had their names practically tattooed on the title roles. 

What a shame.

[amybrickwallace]

I'm not so sure. Maybe 20 years ago either Kidman or Messing would have been right, but they're too old now.