There has been renewed backlash over the casting of Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball in the upcoming biopic "Being the Ricardos."
For months fans have complained that Kidman shows little resemblance to Ball and have called for Debra Messing to instead fill the role and their calls received attention once again following Wednesday's airing of the trailer for the film.
"Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball makes ZERO SENSE in a world where Debra Messing exists," a fan wrote on Twitter.
"debra messing has the uncanny resemblance and comedic chops but they really cast nicole kidman because she’s more of a name. Lucille deserves better honestly," another tweeted.
"Debra Messing was robbed of that role. She should truly play Lucille Ball. Miss me with Kidman," a third reacted.
Director Aaron Sorkin thinks otherwise. "We made this movie during COVID, and so in Zooming with Nicole and Javier and everyone else, I’d make it very clear to them that I am not looking for a physical or vocal impersonation of these people," he told The Hollywood Reporter during an interview.
"Leading up to the first rehearsal, I’d write to them every day, 'Just play the characters who are in the script.' I know that Nicole was working on Lucy’s voice for a while, and I wanted to relieve her of that. As far as audience anticipation, that’s something I’m just not worried about. I’m certain that when people see the movie, they’ll leave feeling that Nicole has made a very solid case for herself, but moreover, I’ve found that you can really leverage low expectations."
Ball's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, has also defended Kidman, saying that the actress did "a spectacular job" of playing her mother.
"The two days that I watched, though, were both little flashbacks, so she was playing Lucy in the late '30s and mid-'40s," she told Palm Springs Life. "She wasn't Lucy of Lucy Ricardo fame yet, so it was a trifle different. And I know she meant it to be, so it could feel different. But boy, what she did was astounding. She's got such poise and class."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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