Daughter: Kidman 'Became My Mother's Soul' as Lucille Ball

First 'Being the Ricardos' trailer released
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2021 4:15 PM CDT

Nicole Kidman says comedic roles are way out of her comfort zone—but Lucille Ball's daughter says Kidman did an incredible job playing one of the most famous comedians in American history. Kidman plays Ball in Being the Ricardos, and a trailer released Tuesday gives fans their first glimpse of her in character, stomping grapes on the set of I Love Lucy, USA Today reports. The film, which will open in theaters Dec. 10 before hitting Amazon Prime on Dec. 21, focuses on Ball's relationship with on-screen and real-life husband Desi Arnaz, who is played by Spanish actor Javier Bardem, People reports.

Ball and Arnaz's daughter Lucie Arnaz called the movie "amazing" in an Instagram post last week. Writer and director Aaron Sorkin captured the spirit of the 1950s, and Kidman "became my mother's soul," the 70-year-old said. "She crawled into her head. I don't know how you do that. She cared very deeply about this part and it shows."

Sorkin says the movie, which includes four musical numbers, will focus on strife between the couple during a week of I Love Lucy production. In a voiceover as Ball in the Ricardos trailer, Kidman says, "I get paid a fortune to do exactly what I love doing. I work side by side with my husband who is genuinely impressed by me. And all I have to do it is kill for 36 weeks in a row. And then, do it again the next year." (More Nicole Kidman stories.)

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