Debra Messing Is Disappointed That Nicole Kidman Is In Talks To Play Lucille Ball In An Aaron Sorkin Movie

January 12, 2021 / Posted by:

Anybody with eyeballs and ears knows there’s only one red-haired actress working today who has the acting chops, box office draw and the air of prestige about her required to play an American icon like Lucille Ball and that woman is Debra Messing. Everybody says this all the time. It’s all you ever hear about these days. However, according to Deadline, Nicole Kidman is in talks to play Lucille in an upcoming feature film from the undisputed King of Screwball, Aaron Sorkin. Javier Bardem is in talks to play Lucy’s husband, Desi Arnez. I didn’t know it was even possible to get a prestige project off the ground without first running it by Debra, let alone one featuring a role she was born to play! Debra, understandably, feels she’s been overlooked.

Here’s what Sorkin has up his sleeve (via Deadline):

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are in negotiations to play Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Amazon and Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos, the film about the relationship between the I Love Lucy stars. Having penned the screenplay, Academy Award winner Sorkin also will direct the film from Amazon Studios and Escape Artists.

The film is set during one production week of I Love Lucy — Monday table read through Friday audience filming— when Lucy and Desi face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.

Sorkin originally was going to pen the script only, when Cate Blanchett was circling, but after enjoying himself on the drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, he decided to attach himself as a director as well over the summer. After The Trial of the Chicago 7 bowed on Netflix in October, Being the Ricardos began to gain momentum with Kidman and Bardem quickly interest in the couple behind TV’s first family.

Let’s be honest, nothing about this movie makes any sense. The least of which is having Nicole playing Lucy. What are they going to do, use CGI to help animate Lucy’s famously expressive face, or will Nicole be going “sans tox,” as they say in the business?

Here’s Debra’s reaction to the news that the role of Lucille Ball is Nicole’s for the taking. This could have been a second career-defining role for her. Instead, she’ll always just be remembered for Smash, and Smash alone.

And the Messing Hive came out in full force to argue that since Debra played Lucille Ball in a recent episode of Will & Grace (yes, those still exist), she’s the only one who could possibly do it when an Oscar is on the line.

Sadly, that is the extent of the Messing Hive’s reach. But still, Debra is obviously the better choice, at least in terms of resemblance. Plus, think how much money they could save! They probably could have had Debra for the price of Nicole’s wig budget alone. And the current discourse about whether a Spanish actor like Javier should be playing the Cuban-American Desi Arnez has spun off into a discussion about colonialism, ethnicity, and Latino/vs Hispanic identity that not even Hilaria Baldwin could help to untangle. So I’ll leave it at this — Why cast Nicole or Debra when Megan Mullally is RIGHT THERE!?

Pics: Wenn.com

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