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‘Being the Ricardos’ Star Javier Bardem Compares Filming Movie to ‘Climbing Mount Everest’

When it comes to taking on one of the most famous and beloved couples in TV history, the simple thought of conquering the role can feel like a trek up Mount Everest. Javier Bardem is starring as Desi Arnaz in the upcoming movie “Being the Ricardos.”

Lucille Ball, the other half of the “I Love Lucy” couple, will be portrayed by popular drama actress Nicole Kidman. The movie will come out on December 10 in theaters and then will debut on Amazon Prime Video only 11 days later.

Javier Bardem Talks ‘Being the Ricardos’ Role

For both Bardem and Kidman, this is one of the most influential, and equally terrifying roles, they’ve had to take on.

In a recent interview on the red carpet at the Jazz at Lincoln Center during the movie’s premiere, Bardem spoke about the immense pressure of it all. During the interview, Bardem said that the role was a “Mount Everest to climb,” according to Press Las Vegas.

He revealed that he got the role a month in a half before in order to fully prepare.

“The challenge was precisely to relax, to go phrase by phrase, video to video, audio to audio … To gain, a little more every day, security of what this character could do,” Bardem said regarding the process. This, while a grueling role, also happens to be a dream role for him.

While it was a lot to take on, Bardem expressed to ET Online that part of that was the very nature of Arnaz himself. He was a multi-talented, powerhouse of a man. Bardem spoke on “his energy, his ability to be not only the great comedian that he was, but also the protector of the show and the protector of her as a man, as a husband, and also as a partner … And he was on [at] the same time, being the producer of the show, musician, singer, dancer.”

Nicole Kidman on Playing Lucille Ball

As for Nicole Kidman, stepping into the role of Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos” was far from easy. When Kidman was cast as Ball, she faced immediate casting backlash for the Aaron Sorkin movie.

She appeared on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” where she talked about the experience of it all so far. She said that the screenplay for the movie read like a book and was stunning. However, she had a moment of doubt that almost led her to drop her role.

“I went, ‘What have I said yes to?’ — to which I then went, ‘Oh no, I’m not right. Everyone thinks I’m not right so I’m going to try to sidestep this.’ And the producer Todd Black and Aaron Sorkin were both like, ‘Absolutely not.’ I was in Australia and they were like, ‘No.’ And thank god, because then I was so grateful because I got to fall in love with her,” Kidman said.