Recently, producer and actor Lucie Arnaz, daughter of the late Lucille Ball, took to her social media to discuss some of the backlash seen on social media due to the castings Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos. The latest report was that Kidman and Bardem were in deep talks to play Arnaz’s parents Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, but as Lucie Arnaz says in this video “the voting is over.” Alluding to the fact that Kidman and Bardem have signed on for the Sorkin and Amazon Studios film.
Arnaz is a producer on the film about her parents, but the sentiment she discusses here is important going forward. Social media of all kinds have made it easier for individuals to critique and share their thoughts with a large audience. However, it is always easier to critique than create. Especially just hearing an idea instead of seeing the idea. Heath Ledger as Joker, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine were all castings that got some backlash before people saw the films.
For example, after the death of long-time Jeopardy host Alex Trebek passed away in November, Ken Jennings, former Jeopardy contestant, was placed as interim host shortly after. Some fans of the show took to social media and were upset with the decision, but after Jennings now is going into his second week as host, the discussion has changed. Many people love his presentation and feel he’s a perfect fit. Long story short: be patient and see if it works.
Being the Ricardos is expected to film sometime this week with Aaron Sorkin writing and directing.