“Being the Ricardos” is a biographical drama about the relationship between “I Love Lucy” stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. In an exclusive interview we catch up with Javier Barden and Nicole Kidman who star as Arnaz and Ball. The Academy Award winning stars reveal the challenges they faced to bring these complex characters to life, and the behind the scenes secrets of this highly anticipated project.

The film starts streaming worldwide on Prime Video on December 21, 2021. It received a limited theatrical release by Amazon Studios in the United States on December 10, 2021.  J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg also star alongside Bardem and Kidman.

“Being the Ricardos” takes place in 1952, when Hollywood power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face personal and professional obstacles that threaten their careers, their relationship, and their hit television show. Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear, and cultural taboos in Academy Award-winning writer/director Aaron Sorkin’s film.

Desi Arnaz with Lucille Ball

A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.”

JAVIER BARDEM –

HOMBRE: This movie is not just about Lucy and Desi as business partners but also shows them as a married couple, dealing with their relationship; how did those different aspects of their relationship appeal to you?
Javier Bardem: That’s the exquisite complexity of the script. It really goes to different places without abandoning anyone in particular. It reunites different aspects of them as a marriage, as a couple, as artists, as colleagues. Everything is so well put together that it makes it more exciting to perform it, but also to watch it as an audience. It’s full of different details to give you a good idea of who they were and what they were doing back in the day.

H: What struck you most when you were doing your research on Desi Arnaz, what were your entry points to play Desi Arnaz?
JB: His absolute confidence in himself. How supportive he was of his wife, and the whole show. And how he overcame obstacles by a strong sense of humor. He was making fun of everything. That doesn’t mean he didn’t take it seriously but he didn’t get stuck in the drama of it all.

NICOLE KIDMAN –

HOMBRE: Lucy was a studio head, along with Desi, when there weren’t any women running a studio, why hasn’t there been a movie done about that aspect of Lucy?
Nicole Kidman: She wasn’t running the studio, they had Desilu, the production company, and no actor had that at the time. She was the first of her kind, she’s one of a kind. I think what this film does is pull the curtain back.  It’s not the ‘I love Lucy’ show, it’s how it was made and who were these people that were capable of that genius. What was her story, what was her life. It’s not from birth to death, it’s Aaron Sorkin storytelling where he compresses a number of things into a week and flashing forward and back is able to show you the essence of who this woman was and who these people were. That is what was so unusual about it. It wasn’t a biopic, and when I was sent the script originally I couldn’t put it down. I read it, and this screenplay is extraordinary. I would ask anyone to read the screenplay because it’s such a good read.

H: What kind of responsibility did you feel playing Lucille Ball?
NK: Initially when I said yes I did not realize what I was saying yes to. I was saying yes to an Aaron Sorkin script and a great opportunity. It was an extraordinary thing to sit in a Zoom call with Aaron and him say, ‘I want you to play Lucille Ball.’ Having read the screenplay, I knew it was magnificent. Then maybe a week later it hit me. I was working on trying to get baby steps into her voice and it was nowhere within reach. I was like oh no, what have I done? I wish I had the talent to do this, but I don’t. Luckily I had a couple of months so I could work on it slowly, meticulously, methodically. Watching the show, listening to the voice.

H: How was your preparation for the role?
NK: The preparation was unusual for me because a lot of the time I start really inside. But the inside was almost already there because I could relate to her. I could feel her because it was so beautifully written. Then it was like oh no how do I actually create a Lucille Ball. Aaron was fantastic because when I freaked out, which I did, he sent an email that basically said ‘You got this, you’re just gonna have to take it day by day. I don’t want an impersonation, I want you to do the work that I know you can do, that I know you will do. And I want you not to freak out because I believe you can do it.’

I would challenge him on that at different points and he would never waiver. He was consistent in belief. He saw how he wanted it and it took me time to give over to that and when I did I felt okay. But in this process I was able to work on the Lucy part, which was all the mannerisms. I could hang my hat on that and say well I’m going to have the hair, and the lips and I can do all of it and even though it’s a sliver of the movie I’ll have that. And out of Lucy Ricardo, came Lucille Ball. Lucille Ball is very different to Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball created Lucy Ricardo.