Preparation is key for any actor looking to give a good performance. If an actor is to do their job properly, they must understand the character on a deep level. They need to feel what the character feels and breathe life into them. It can be daunting for an actor to convincingly portray a character that is fiction. But, it can pose an even greater challenge when the person they are playing is based on a real individual, who may have had a highly publicized career.

Nicole Kidman brought Lucille Ball back to life in the 2021 movie “Being the Ricardos.” She captured Ball’s likeness from the beloved sitcom, “I Love Lucy.” Not only did she have to perform a difficult task, but she also had to play another version of Ball that the audience wouldn’t see – the real Ball, not just the character from the sitcom.

To best prepare for this role, Kidman took two different approaches. She told NPR, “So there was the I Love Lucy show, and I just thought, well, if I can create literally a carbon copy of her in the show where I look like her, I move like her, I sound like her, all of those things — and I really studied that for months, like watching it, rewinding, starting again, getting the timing, working on it, working on it, working on the sounds with my dialect coach, if that can be accurate, that then gives me the license to do Lucille Ball, as Aaron said, with the sexuality, with messy hair, with all the things that do not make you go, oh, right, that looks exactly like her. There’s a feeling of her, but there’s a human being here.”

Kidman was referring to the film’s director, Aaron Sorkin. He gave her advice when she was preparing for the role. He told her that he wanted her to play Ball, but not as an exact replica. Kidman took his advice and prepared for the role extensively- it paid off in the end. She won a Golden Globe for the portrayal.

Check out the trailer for the film below!

Many of Kidman and Ball’s fans who watched the trailer and the movie say that Kidman did an excellent job. One person said, “Nicole Kidman absolutely nails this role! She did a great service to Lucile Ball!”

Another wrote, “Absolutely loved it! Nicole does a fantastic job and really pulls you into the movie.”

Did you catch “Being the Ricardos” yet? How well do you think Nicole Kidman did in her role as Ball?