There are few people more influential in the history of television than Lucille Ball, whose series I Love Lucy became the blueprint for almost every other sitcom that followed. As important as the series was, there’s no question that her relationship with her husband Desi Arnaz was important to both her personal and professional lives.
Small wonder, then, that their dynamic is being explored in the movie Being the Ricardos, which features an exemplary cast, all of whom have appeared in movies that have been highly regarded by the users of IMDb.
Nicole Kidman – Lion (8.0)
Nicole Kidman is one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood, with many notable roles in her filmography. She brings all of that star power to bear in the character of Sue Brierley, a woman who adopts a young boy from India.
As is usually the case with Kidman, she manages to find the right mix of strength and vulnerability in this particular character, and though Sue could have become a caricature in the hands of a less capable star, Kidman allows her fundamental humanity to shine out. What’s more, she has undeniable chemistry with the movie’s star, Dev Patel.
Javier Bardem – Dune (8.2)
Javier Bardem is another well-respected actor who has shown a powerful versatility, and he has played a wide range of characters.
In the new version of Dune, sure to become one of the best science-fiction movies of the decade, he plays the character of Stilgar, a leader of the enigmatic Fremen. Even though he only appears briefly in the movie, he makes quite an impression, and Bardem allows the viewer to see that Stilgar is the type of person who takes his duty to his people more seriously than he does almost anything else.
Nina Arianda – Richard Jewell (7.5)
Nina Arianda is someone whose career has been successful, even if she hasn’t become a superstar, and she consistently plays characters that are full of human compassion. However, her turn as Vivian Vance in Being the Ricardos might just change that.
She also showed that she has a formidable acting talent in her turn as the character Nadya Light in the movie Richard Jewell, which focused on the security guard-turned-suspect of the Atlanta Olympic bombings. She imbues the character with a tremendous amount of warmth and kindness, and she has an undeniable chemistry with her costar, Sam Rockwell.
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash (8.5)
JK Simmons has had a very exemplary career in TV, with numerous strong roles to his credit. However, he’s become equally well-regarded for his movie work, in particular the movie Whiplash, in which he plays a domineering, and sometimes abusive, bandleader.
Simmons’ performance was so powerful that he received the Oscar for it, and it’s not hard to see why. Simmons has an undeniable magnetism that makes it impossible to look away from him, even as he’s behaving monstrously toward the students under his guidance. He’s the sort of character that invites the viewer to both hate and admire him.
Alia Shawkat – First Cow (7.1)
First Cow is a rather strange movie, but it has a powerful story, focusing as it does on an unlikely pair of friends as they try to make a living in the unsettled American West. In the movie, Alia Shawkat has a fairly small but important role as a woman walking her dog who discovers the skeletons of the two main characters.
She is also going to play an important part in Being the Ricardos as Madelyn Pugh, one of the important writers on I Love Lucy.
Tony Hale – What Josiah Saw (8.6)
Though Tony Hale is probably best-known for his performance as Gary on Veep, he has also appeared in a number of wonderful movies, including What Josiah Saw. This is a gripping horror movie in which a family comes together in an isolated farmhouse where they have to confront the ugly reality of their past and their horrible actions.
Tony Hale plays the character of Ross Milner, one of those who is ensnared in the toxic family drama. He is slated to play the young version of Jess Oppenheimer, one of the chief writers for I Love Lucy and thus a key part of its eventual success.
Jake Lacy – Carol (7.3)
Jake Lacy is another actor who has had a robust career in various TV series, most recently in The White Lotus, where he plays one of the privileged guests that come to stay at the hotel of the title.
However, one of his most notable movie roles is in Carol, where he plays the rather clueless boyfriend of Rooney Mara’s Therese. While she is deeply ambivalent about their relationship, especially once her romance with Carol begins, he conveys a certain level of naivete as Richard, who clearly loves his girlfriend even though he doesn’t fully understand her or what she wants out of her life.
Clark Gregg- The Avengers (8.0)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is undoubtedly one of the most successful franchises in film history, responsible for some of the biggest TV and movie successes. It has also produced many great characters, among whom is Phil Coulson, portrayed by Clark Gregg in the various iterations of the character.
He brings a great deal of warmth and humanity to this character, the man who is one of those responsible for bringing the Avengers together in the original movie, and he has gone on to become a key part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its various activities in the broader universe.
About The Author
