The role Nicole Kidman almost walked away from: “I’m going to try to sidestep this”
Nicole Kidman has played her fair share of real-life characters, from Fox News reporters in Bombshell to Virginia Woolf herself in The Hours, but there’s an added level of pressure when playing historical figures.
Many actors, such as Daniel Day-Lewis and Margot Robbie, have spoken about the challenges of bringing to life a specific slice of history, with an additional layer of scrutiny on their performance by comparing it to the mannerisms of a well-known person. And when Kidman was approached to play the role of Lucille Ball, she nearly succumbed to the surmounting pressure of the part and quit entirely.
Being the Ricardo’s was directed by legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin in 2021, following a tumultuous period in Ball’s marriage and career alongside her husband, Desi Arnaz, played by Javier Bardem.
Lucille Ball was one of the most influential women in film of her time. She worked as an actor, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She is known for creating the iconic sitcom I Love Lucy in the ’50s with her husband, Arnaz. Sorkin’s project focuses on the creation of this show and the strain that it put on their marriage, with the pair eventually divorcing in 1960.
However, when it was announced that Kidman would play Lucille Ball, the decision was met with backlash, with many people not thinking that she believably resembled the actor. When asked about this reaction, Kidman said, “When the, sort of, the reality of playing her hit me, I went, ‘What have I said yes to?’ To which I then went, ‘Oh no, I’m not right, everyone thinks I’m not right, so I’m going to try to sidestep this”.
Apparently, during the early pre-production process, Kidman tried to back out of the project entirely, describing an email she wrote to Sorkin in which she said, “I think I’m actually the wrong person now. I know I said ‘yes,’ but I’m now saying ‘no.’”
But Sorkin replied, “You don’t get to say ‘no’ now!”
However, the actor has since said that she is glad the director pushed her to take on this challenge, and was later nominated for the Academy Award for ‘Best Actress’ and won the Golden Globe for her portrayal of Ball. But despite the excellent performances from the cast, the film was not met with high praise from critics and film lovers, with people criticising Sorkin’s direction and the misguided political messaging at the heart of the story.
After directing Molly’s Game in 2017, many of his fans were intrigued to see how his genius knack for writing could possibly extend to his directorial work, perhaps heightening his existing talents through a new filmmaking discipline. But, alas, Being the Ricardos was not the project to secure his place as one of the greats, with some fans even suggesting that he ‘stick to screenwriting’.
Sorkin is currently working on a screenplay about the uprisings in the capital on January 6th and the misinformation that was spread through Facebook. After his 2010 film The Social Network, which was also about the social media platform and its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, it seems as though the writer is returning to his roots.
