Watching Being the Ricardos, I felt sorry for Nicole Kidman. Yes, it was her responsibility to say “no” to that part, but I understood why she said yes to it – a script by Aaron Sorkin and the belief that playing Lucille Ball would be a great role for her. But holy sh-t, Sorkin did her no favors with the script or the direction. The hair and makeup people did her dirty too. The film is an utter embarrassment at every level, and it’s a terrible reflection of Kidman’s substantial talent. She just never should have been part of it. But here we are, still reading interviews from Kidman and Javier Bardem as they try to put a bow on this mess. Some highlights from Kidman’s interview in the Guardian:
On Being the Ricardos: “It’s about a creative and romantic relationship that doesn’t work out. But from it come some extraordinary things. And I love that. I love that it’s not a happy ending. This film says you can make an extraordinary relationship thrive and leave remnants of it that exist forever. Yeah, that’s really gorgeous. You can’t make people behave how you want them to, and sometimes you’re going to fall in love with someone who isn’t going to be the person you spend the rest of your life with. And I think that’s all very relatable. You may have kids with them. You may not, but they were very much in love.”
Whether all of that ^^ was about Tom Cruise: “Oh, my God, no, no. Absolutely not. No. I mean, that’s, honestly, so long ago that that isn’t in this equation. So no.” She is angry. “And I would ask not to be pigeonholed that way, either. It feels to me almost sexist, because I’m not sure anyone would say that to a man. And at some point, you go, ‘Give me my life. In its own right.’”
She retired after having Sunday Rose: “[I decided to] have my baby and sit on a farm. Until my mum said to me, ‘I don’t think you should just give up.’ I was quite convinced I could grow vegetables and be at home and be very satisfied with that, but was pushed quite substantially by my mum. Friends, too – I have friendships that have permeated my life… Those relationships are relevant. They’re the threads that pull you through, when people show up and go, ‘I know you and I believe in you’, and push you forward. Not always coming from a sense of confidence, like I know what I’m doing. Not at all. A lot of times I’m relying heavily on the people around to say, ‘You’ve got more in you.’”
She’s surprised by how much success she’s had in television: “I would never have thought television would be an avenue for growth for me. Television gives you a much stronger connection with an audience, because you’re in their homes. I had a far deeper response than I’d ever had, which just suddenly came hurtling towards me…”
She cries a lot: “But yeah, I cry. I try to keep a lid on that, but everything is deeply sad. There’s a huge melancholia, right? I mean, when you really study melancholy people, we’re very present. I have an enormous amount of that. I think a lot of people walk around with it too, don’t you?”
Whether she’s a movie star. “That term confuses me. Can you define it? It’s too cerebral for me. I can only go to what Stanley Kubrick would say to me, which was, ‘Nicole, you’re a character actress.’ Usually, I’m resistant to labels. There’s a new generation now, saying, ‘No, you don’t get to define me just this way.’ I’m hugely supportive of this. And you can also change. I love that.”
I’ve seen the headlines about how Kidman “clapped back” on the journalist from bringing up Tom Cruise… but it did honestly feel like Kidman was making a not-so-oblique reference to Cruise. Not only that, I think what she said about falling in love with someone knowing that it won’t be forever probably resonated with a lot of people who are in their second or third marriages, you know? Anyway, I like her TV work, and I think the format of episodic television suits her very well in this stage of her career. I would be very happy if she spent the next decade doing cool miniseries where she played mysterious rich bitches with secrets. That is her wheelhouse!! (Lucille Ball was not her wheelhouse).
Photos courtesy of Instar, Amazon Studios.
I always read her daughter’s name as Sunday Roast 😳 and now I’m hungry…
Dammit, now I’m hungry lol
🙂 Thanks for the Chuckle..
I think the mention of Tom Cruise is just a trigger for her ,for many reasons.
I think she gets mad when people bring Cruise up, but then she actually brings him up herself sometimes. I was just listening to a new interview with Nicole the other day. She spoke very warmly of Tom, and of how much they enjoyed being in London together while they filmed Eyes Wide Shut.
@ it`s sometimes really hard to stop loving your ex-abuser. The mind tricks they pull on you is sad and crazy.
Yea, he’s an angry abuser and it should be obvious to everyone by now. They shouldn’t have brought it up.
I think she has a point. Does anyone ever ask Tom Cruise about her?
This! Imagine if Tom was asked about her/their life together as frequently, he’d be throwing fits and calling on his scientology mob to throw dirt at the journalists.
Firstly i think Tom Cruise has pretty much ghosted the whole world rarely does promo now and secondly they are probably scared to ask him such. He is so intense and fires back at interviewers who upset him.
Of course not, he would never allow it. It’s definitely unfair that she still gets asked about him but, also, let’s not forget that she is the mother of his two oldest children (no matter how much he & Co$ has tried to erase that fact). But I can imagine that his name evokes a lot of pain for her and she just doesn’t want to still be linked to him in that way anymore. She’s moved on and built a new life for herself on her terms. Asking her about TC at this point is just clickbait.
@SMCollins its really sad the situation with her older kids. I understand when they got divorced Tom used his power to keep them away,but as adults now its a shame they seem to never reconnected.
@ Noki, I agree that TC used every tool that his whacked out group to pressure Kidman was certainly orchestrated. And since Kidman is considered an OP they will never have a relationship with her, based on a science fiction writer and his delusional thoughts. I hope that one day they will try to connect with her.
Exactly. It is sexist simply because these interviewers or whoever feel it’s ok to ask her these things but don’t cross that line with him.
This. Citing male rage s an excuse for why women are treated differently is simply making the point.
Also, I thought she was great in BR. It was relatable to me and fascinating how Lucy soared above the ceiling set for her.
She’s right. No one asks him about her and PUSHES him to speak about her. The same thing with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, I’m not a fan of hers but I felt annoyed for her when people where STILL throwing questions about him to her in interviews YEARS after the fact. Leave her alone!
It was only asked because of how close Lucy and Desi’s relationship reflected Nicoles and Tom’s. It just wasn’t brought up willy nilly. And the reason interviewers don’t ask Tom about these things is his handlers before the interview tell them not to or Tom won’t do the interview. It isn’t sexist. And if we had any interviewers with ball Tom would be hounded constantly about a lot of crap on scientology. But all of our celebrity and newspeople are to scared they won’t get access to these people. Who cares if you don’t have access if you have the real story.
@Phillips: Stop making excuses for this nonsense. Female actors constantly get questioned about their relationships (past or present), how they juggle kids and their career, what their diet was like to fit into their costume, etc etc to a greater extent than their male colleagues.
And her relationship with him ended over TWENTY years ago. Similarly, Jane Asher’s complained about people continually asking her about her relationship with Paul McCartney, and that’s been over for FIFTY years. Don’t act like this isn’t a thing.
I think people remain fascinated by high profile relationships and hope that given the passing of time, people may feel willing to talk about them. Honestly I could see Brad being asked about Angelina and he’s been asked about Gwyneth quite often. Ben Affleck was asked about J Lo before they got back together. Richard Burton was asked about Elizabeth Taylor after their splits. And this question was in context. I don’t think it was sexist.
@Jackie: Nicole Kidman (and Katie Holmes) are never going to talk much about their relationships with Tom Cruise; they’ve signed non-disclosure agreements which prohibit them from talking much about him or the Church of Scientology.
Kidman in particular has incentive not to say anything critical of either Cruise or the CoS, because she wants to hold the door open for a relationship with her first two children. Otherwise, they’ll “disconnect” from her, e.g. cut off all contact and refuse to have anything to do with her.
Yes, I remember it happening. Let me see if I can find a source.
Here Ya go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm1gvNQtYJQ
Considering the context it’s not surprising she was asked about Cruise in this interview so blasting this journalist makes no sense. Maybe she does get asked in many interviews and this one was the final straw?
Considering that she’s currently married to a famous man, they can ask her about that instead of bringing up a marriage that ended 20+ yrs ago.
Aaron Sorkin should never direct a movie again. Too many times it felt like watching a tv soap opera (not a compliment).
Seemed to me the reporter couldn’t wait to ask about Tom cruise. I mean she has lived an interesting life and can probably speak to things outside her own existence even? I’d be annoyed too if I couldn’t answer a question generally without the most tabloid worthy and ancient part of my life being brought up.
It could have been on Lifetime. The writing must not have been great to have had so many great actors stumbling around. Nicole Kidman looked horrible and nothing like Lucy. It made it hard to get into the movie.
The movie will probably be nominated for an Oscar and Nicole is nominated for awards. But that is about Aaron’s and Amazon’s buying power.
They believe that Tom Cruise got Nicole her career. Therefore, they will always ask her about him. I am sure they do something similar to Robin Wright. However, they do not do that to men.
I think a lot of people were expecting I Love Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, not understanding the film was about Lucille Ball. I also think the script suffered because people are used to the typical story of a dramatic buildup, climax and denouement, and to try to fit within that narrative Sorkin took several different key events that happened in Lucille’s lifetime, along with the recurrent issue of cheating, and shoved them all into one week, which made it too melodramatic. I guess for the dialogue?
Acting alone, I think Nicole Kidman 100% nailed the part, and I don’t get the hate for her performance. It feels like people formed an opinion early on that she couldn’t play Lucy in an episode of I Love Lucy and are just sticking to their guns now that it was clear it was about Lucy Ricardo and the deterioration of her marriage and the fact that she soldiered on through it for the sake of the show.
There was a scene where she’s in a hallway or something and the music is suddenly like something from the intro to Downton Abbey and I’m like wtf is happening right now? It wasn’t Nicole’s fault at all that the movie wasn’t good. I like her as an actress and I felt she was believable in this version of Lucille Ball the woman, not the comedian.
I’m with you absolutely. I thought it was brilliant, but I wasn’t expecting I Love Lucy either. I found the painful delving into disparity of power and how she as a woman had to work so hard to make her husband feel important to be important. In many ways her character reminded me of women I’ve known from earlier times, my grandmother for example.
That’s right-I thought she was fantastic, as usual, especially during the last scene of the film. Was it her absolute best part? No, but she already has that Oscar for The Hours, so that doesn’t mean this particular role was bad work.
It’s like how women (actors, politicians, musicians, business people) are almost always asked how they balance their careers with being a parent while their male peers almost never are.
Men are allowed to just be in a workplace (which is what a press meeting, interview is) without having to explain their life with their children or what men have had roles in their past, at the moment, at least to the extent women are asked about it.
Yes, the constant idea of women working outside of the home when we have been doing it for hundreds of years is obviously foreign to these misogynistic a$$holes! Though she could stipulate that interviews are granted based on NOT asking about TC. She has enough power to do so. It’s time they move on from her and TC as she has certainly moved on, as has TC with his cult stroking his ego and supplying his latest cosmetic procedures. It’s interesting that ScienTooCuckoo hasn’t found him a new bride. I guess Miscavige wants TC all to himself!!
The only reason people ask her about Tom Cruise is that he’s a Scientology nutball. I don’t think it’s sexism.
I agree. He’s in a cult, he’s crazy as hell, that’s where the intrigue is. Sorry but Kidman’s husband is not as interesting. And if you’re interviewing Cruise, you’re gonna ask him about his views on psychology or Katie Holmes to get a reaction lol.
I agree. I’m sorry I don’t see anything sexist about it.
Her fake marriage to Tom is what got her famous – she shouldn’t s**t all over it.
Nicole was already successful before marriage to Tom. Not as well-known as she is now but can we please stop with the misogyny of attributing women’s success to the men in their lives?
Seconded. And she just doesn’t want to keep talking about it (because she gets asked about it) forever. If anyone crapped all over their marriage, it was the Church of Scientology, especially Tom’s buddy David Miscavige.
Thirded with gusto. What the hell?? They met on the set of Days of Thunder, and that “fake” marriage of many many years led to two miscarriages and a whole lot of grief for her when he up and left her because she wasn’t a Scientologist.
Thank you! I knew she was going to be a star after ‘Dead Calm’ it was so apparent. I’m glad she ‘clapped back’ on that question- I’d like Cruise to be asked even once – it will never happen such a double standard!
O.m.g. 100% agree.
If I read one more woman doing this to another woman…
Nicole had a career before Tom. She wasn’t a mega star yet, but if you watch her earlier films she had that star quality and she was already on the rise. I’m sure his connections didn’t hurt, just like having Nicole on his arm didn’t hurt his career.
She has more acting talent in her finger than Tom has in his entire body.
Nicole was only 22 years old when she met Tom while making Days of Thunder and she was already establishing a solid career before she met him. He did not make her career. She made it for herself.
@Linda
She was already a known name before TC.
I highly doubt their marriage was “fake”.
And it’s gross to basically insinuate that she only got famous because of a guy.
Mysogyny much?
Wow! That almost sounds like a scientologist trying to throw Nicole under the bus
Oh stop. She was a bona fide actor before she met Tom. To malign her marriage to Tom as fake is a low blow and horribly misogynistic. She loved him and was crushed when he chose his wackdoodle quasi-religion/cult over her, then proceeded to inculcate their kids into Co$ to the point where she has basically no relationship with them.
Yes lets stop that crap. An actor can do little to make another a star.They can be in a celebrity marriage but that doesn’t get you parts. A director/writer who wants to use you as a muse (woody Allen/Mia Farrow) would do more for you. And it’s true and I’m sick of woman getting the questions about their men & men never being asked that. Look at a recent example. JLo does recent magazine articles all about her love life & BenA does articles all about his work (except when putting his foot in his mouth so for good reason)
I cringed through The Undoing. She was so over the top.
Yeah, I find her cringy too. I did not like her Lucille Ball, it felt very flat. Her face can’t move and she made her eyes look blankly into space like as if no one was home. It’s like all of a sudden she turned into this blank talking doll. She worked hard on the vocals and she worked hard to mimic Lucy in the black and white throwback scenes from the show. Regardless of her Oscar I don’t feel she is one of our top actresses.
I think she’s right, and I feel the same way when actresses are asked about their male co-stars controversies. I don’t judge responses to those types of questions bc it’s ridiculous for them to be asked about the personal issues of guys they probably had a perfectly pleasant professional experience with.
I’m fine with most of what she said until the movie star question. The Stanley Kubrick name drop made me laugh.
What a humble brag moment! It’s kind of the epitome of a humble brag. “Oh, one of the greats of the cinema who you will never have a chance to work with, called me a character actress.”
Also, there’s no way that she’s a character actor. She plays leading roles, exclusively. Sure she’s got talent and is pretty flexible, but a character actor tends to elevate small but important parts through skill. They steal scenes. This is just not the kind of work she does.
I will disagree only because she controls what questions get asked vs not she could easily tell them to not ask her about Tom Cruise ever. Its not that difficult.
Nicole Kidman is unwatchable, what ever role she plays its exactly the same with different hair and clothes.
They divorced decades ago, they are NOT on good terms or sharing custody of children. I highly doubt they speak. There is literally no fresh news to come from asking her about him again.
I agree with her.
Her Lucille Ball/Lucy were fine.
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