Being the Ricardos, a biographical drama about one of Hollywood’s most influential couples during a period of intense public scrutiny, features numerous I Love Lucy tributes, including “Lucy, I’m home!” The acclaimed comedy series I Love Lucy is being filmed, and Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote and directed the movie, follows Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), as they struggle to get through a particularly trying week of production. When Lucy’s Communist affiliation is made public, the programme and everyone’s reputations are put in jeopardy. The future of the show and Lucy’s career are put in jeopardy as a result of the disclosure, despite Lucy’s protestations that she is not a Communist in any way.
The movie portrays the writers’ room beautifully while capturing the tangible anxiety and rage that pervaded every stage of production. The cast of the program, which also included Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) and William Frawley (J.K. Simmons), contended with uncertainty and Lucy’s rigorous temperament. Tensions were high and allegiances were questioned.
Grab some popcorn because it’s time to examine the casting of Being the Ricardos.
In the early years of television, along with Pugh, Bob Carroll Jr. wrote each episode of I Love Lucy. The first four seasons of the programme were written by him, Pugh, and Oppenheimer; the latter two seasons were written by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. He co-wrote Laughing With Lucy: My Life With America’s Leading Lady of Comedy with Pugh in his latter years. Actor Jake Lacy, known for his roles in The Office, How To Be Single, Fosse/Verdon, and most recently The White Lotus, plays the eager and obstinate writer.
Desi Arnaz/Ricky Ricardo (Javier Bardem)
In the popular comedy I Love Lucy, Desi Arnaz, a former bandleader who is now an actor and comedian, costarred as Ricky Ricardo with his real-life wife Ball. In the show, he portrayed a musician who was frequently baffled by his wife’s elaborate plans and attempts to break into Hollywood. Arnaz had a hectic life as a musician in addition to his comedic skills, which required him to be away from his wife when they weren’t filming and on the road all the time. Arnaz and Ball were a committed couple who revolutionised television with their production business Desilu Productions and were also the unofficial creators of syndicated television, despite having an unsatisfactory marriage characterised by high-stakes stress and infidelity.
Javier Bardem is renowned for his roles in Mother!, Before Night Falls, Skyfall, Biutiful, and the newly acclaimed epic Dune. He received an Oscar for his portrayal in No Country for Old Men. In addition to starring in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, which is based on the children’s book of the same name, Dune: Part Two, and as Frankenstein’s Monster in Bride of Frankenstein, he will play King Triton in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid.
Howard Wenke (Clark Gregg)
I Love Lucy executive Howard Wenke, played by actor Clark Gregg, is concerned that Lucille would be labelled a Communist, just like everyone else who works with Lucille and Desi. He says to an anxious Lucille, “If you tape the show Friday night, that means you still have a show,” as he is filled with uncertainty and apprehension about the forthcoming week of production. Gregg is well-known for his work on The West Wing, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and his portrayal of Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jess Oppenheimer (Tony Hale)
stronghold of radio When Jess Oppenheimer was a student at Stanford University, she was first exposed to the medium. He made the most of his time at San Francisco’s KFRC radio station, where he began to write radio comedy routines and scripts, some of which he would perform himself. He penned songs for stars including Judy Garland, Jack Benny, Joan Crawford, James Cagney, and Fred Astaire, among others. To write for the radio programme My Favorite Husband, which starred Ball, CBS approached Oppenheimer in 1948. Thankfully, he agreed to take the job, and he developed Ball’s character to play to her humorous skills. Oppenheimer collaborated with CBS once more to create the television series I Love Lucy after the show’s rediscovered success. He acted as the show’s creator, producer, chief writer, and overall genius.
In the popular HBO comedy series Veep, where Julia Louis-Dreyfus portrayed Vice President Selina Meyer, actor Tony Hale won two Emmys for his performance as Gary Walsh, Meyer’s right-hand man. Additionally, he portrayed the endearing weirdo Buster Bluth in Arrested Development, the animated character Archibald in Archibald’s Next Big Thing, and the character Forky in Toy Story 4. He now plays the villain Tieran in Clifford the Big Red Dog and co-stars alongside Kristen Schaal in the Disney+ series The Mysterious Benedict Society. Alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Hannah Waddingham, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy, he will appear in Blind Psychosis and Hocus Pocus 2.
Lucille Ball/Lucy Ricardo (Nicole Kidman)
The long-running smash comedy I Love Lucy, in which Lucille Ball co-starred with her real-life husband Desi Arnaz, was named for the Emmy-winning actress, comedian, producer, and model. She portrayed Lucy Ricardo in the show, a character who frequently got into trouble with her neighbour and close friend Ethel. Ball rose to fame for her use of physical humour and her fine comic timing in portraying her roles. She played a significant role in the show’s creation and composition, and she always kept the audience’s intellect and the characters’ goals in mind.
She was found by CBS’s Jess Oppenheimer after appearing on his popular radio show My Favorite Husband. She was approached by Oppenheimer about appearing in her own television show (I Love Lucy) with Richard Denning, but she insisted that Desi Arnaz play the role of her husband since it would be a fantastic fit and a chance for them to reconnect amid Desi’s hectic touring schedule as a musician. Ball had a reputation for being strict and hard-nosed, but the series probably wouldn’t have been as popular as it was if it weren’t for her passion to her work.
The Hours earned Nicole Kidman an Oscar for best supporting actress, and she is also well-known for her roles in Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge!, Lion, and Big Little Lies. She most recently appeared as Grace Fraser in HBO’s The Undoing with Hugh Grant and as Masha in the Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers, both starring Hugh Grant. She also appears in the television series Roar and the novel The Northman by Robert Eggers, as well as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Madelyn Pugh (Alia Shawkat)
Madelyn Pugh, a comedy writer, is still one of the most significant figures in television. She contributed to the creation of the character of Lucy Ricardo and was in charge of coming up with many of the sight gags and sticky situations that Lucy encountered. With Ball’s abilities in mind, Pugh would even try out the suggested stunts herself. Being a woman in a writing room or any other area of production wasn’t typical, so Pugh’s accomplishments were all the more remarkable. Writing for My Favorite Husband, she met Bob Carroll Jr., with whom she collaborated for 50 years. She is shown in the movie as a self-assured and tenacious writer who collaborates closely with Lucille.
Actress Alia Shawkat is well-known for her roles as Lila in Transparent and Maeby Fünke in the comedy series Arrested Development. The fifth and last season of the dark comedy Search Party, which she presently plays in, will debut on January 7 on HBO Max.
Vivian Vance/Ethel Mertz (Nina Arianda)
Early in the 1930s, actress Vivian Vance pursued theatre employment and, in 1932, was cast in Oscar Hammerstein II’s Music in the Air. She understudied for Ethel Merman in Anything Goes after that production, and when Kay Thompson was replaced, she earned her big break as Ed Wynn’s co-star in Hooray for What! She shares the same fame as her fellow cast members for her role as Ethel, Lucy’s best friend and the grumpy Fred Mertz’s wife, in the television series I Love Lucy. She was elected into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2012 and received an Emmy for her role in the popular sitcom. Ball and Vance had some off-screen friction and conflicts, but even after the series finished, they remained friends. The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy, two of Ball’s subsequent television series, both starred Vance. Vance and Frawley, however, never really got along.
Vivian Vance’s actor, Nina Arianda, is well known for her recurring parts on the television shows Hannibal, Billions, and Goliath. She has additionally acted in the films Richard Jewell, Stan & Ollie, and Florence Foster Jenkins. She will next be heard as Fancy’s voice in the animated comedy The Adventures of Drunky, which also stars Sam Rockwell, Steve Coogan, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Leguizamo.
William Frawley/Fred Mertz (J.K. Simmons)
William Frawley, who was nominated for an Emmy, is most known for his roles as Bub in My Three Sons and Fred Mertz, the friend and landlord of the Ricardos and Ethel in I Love Lucy. For more than ten years, he and his wife Edna Louise Bloedt performed as the comic team “Frawley and Louise” in vaudeville. Along with silent films for Paramount Studios, he also starred in a number of Broadway shows, including Bye, Bye, Bonnie, She’s My Baby, and Tell Her the Truth. His jaded and stern on-screen persona, as well as his alcoholism, are depicted in Being the Ricardos.
One of the busiest actors working today is J.K. Simmons. He received an Oscar for his eerie portrayal of Fletcher in Whiplash in 2014, and he has since astonished us with a wide range of roles in films like BoJack Horseman, Juno, Oz, Spider-Man, and Palm Springs. He now voices Nolan Grayson in the animated series Invincible and reprises his role as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: No Way Home. His upcoming projects include Little Brother, Batgirl, the sci-fi show Lightyears, and the John Cusack-starrer comedy-thriller My Only Sunshine.
Both in-theater and online streaming of Being the Ricardos are currently options.
