Fights, conga and action — those were the behind-the-scenes makings of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s “I Love Lucy,” according to the upcoming biopic “Being the Ricardos.”
“I did this show so Desi and I could be together,” says Nicole Kidman, 54, as Ball in the minute-long first teaser for the upcoming Aaron Sorkin film. “I had no idea it was going to be a hit.”
The “Being the Ricardos” trailer, released by Amazon Studios Tuesday, gives loyal “Lucy” lovers a glimpse at the less-than-lovey-dovey disharmony between Ball, who died at 77 in 1989, and Arnaz, who died at 69 in 1986, during a particularly tumultuous time in their 20-year marriage and television careers.
Accompanied by the rhythmic beat of the conga drum, maracas and trumpet, the film’s fast-moving preview offers peeks of the backstage strife between Ball and Arnaz during a week in September 1952.
Academy Award-winning actor Javier Bardem, 52, plays Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo opposite Kidman in the upcoming movie — which is slated for limited release in theaters on Dec. 10 and will be available via Amazon Prime Video on Dec. 21.
The duo, commonly referred to as a unit and by their show names “Lucy and Ricky,” were forced to portray “America’s favorite TV couple,” while their real-life marriage — plagued with infidelity, distrust and a federal investigation commissioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee — was in peril.
Marital drama aside, the trailer highlights Kidman carrying out some of Ball’s most epic “I Love Lucy” antics, including the stunt when the red-headed comedienne dons a full-body cast in an attempt to reconcile with her husband, plus the iconic grape stomping showdown.
“Nicole Kidman became my mother’s soul,” raved Ball and Arnaz’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz, 70, in an Instagram video review on Oct. 15, which is National “I Love Lucy” Day and marked the 70th anniversary of the legendary show.
“She crawled into her head,” continued Lucie in her praise of Kidman’s performance. “I don’t know how you do that. She cared very deeply about this part, [and] it shows. And I believed everything she said. She looks beautiful – thank God they didn’t do exact lookalikes, I couldn’t have taken it.”
Lucie went on to call Sorkin’s dedication to her parents: “friggin’ amazing.”
“[Sorkin] made a great movie … He captured the essence of that time in their lives so well. He captured the heart of my mother and my father, their relationship,” she said. “He captured the love between those players in the ‘I Love Lucy’ show. The tension that was brought on in this particular week when all hell broke loose.”
In her social media review, Lucie noted the physical differences between her father and Bardem. But she applauded the actor for perfecting capturing her dad’s true essence.
“They have a different profile and body shape and stuff, but he has everything that Dad had,” she said of Bardem. “He has his wit, his charm, his dimples, his musicality. He has his strength and tenacity, and you can tell from the performance that he just loved him. And that’s what you needed.”
The eldest of Ball and Arnaz’s two children — the small-screen power pair also welcomed son Desi Arnaz Jr., 68, before getting divorced in 1960 — Lucie commended Sorkin for “perfectly” casting the film, and for leaving space in his story for a more extensive peer into her mother and father’s lives.
“There’s a great [cradle to grave] documentary coming out, directed by Amy Poehler,” said Lucie. “Ron Howard and his company White Horse Pictures are making this amazingly deep and heartfelt full story of Lucy and Desi.”
But for now, an excited Lucie says that “Being the Ricardos” is really “gonna be something.”