Entertainment Movies Comedy Movies See'' the 'Being the Ricardos' Cast Side-by-Side with Their Real-Life Counterparts See side-by-side photos of Nicole Kidman and Lucille Ball, Javier Bardem and Desi Arnaz, and more stars from Amazon Studios' Being the Ricardos as they play some of Hollywood's biggest names By Skyler Caruso Skyler Caruso Skyler Caruso is a Writer and Reporter of PEOPLE Digital Entertainment. She joined PEOPLE in 2021, but has eight years of experience working in digital publishing with a focus on entertainment and pop culture news. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 8, 2022 10:30AM EST Close 01 of 07 Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball Mike Marsland/WireImage; Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Big Little Lies star Nicole Kidman takes on the role of the late comedy icon, Lucille Ball – whom Being the Ricardos director Aaron Sorkin described in a CBS Morning interview as "the most powerful person in television." Kidman told PEOPLE she studied Ball's movements in order to perfect her look onscreen. "It was my obsession to get it absolutely accurate." The film pulls back the curtains of I Love Lucy, revealing complex relationships, production crises, and political tension – all set during a tumultuous week of taping the 1951 sitcom. Kidman was also nominated for a 2022 Oscar for Best Actress for her role. 02 of 07 Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz Kevork Djansezian/Getty; Hulton Archive/Getty Skyfall actor Javier Bardem plays Ball's husband and costar, Desi Arnaz – who played a crucial part in the sitcom's success, both in front of and behind the camera. Arnaz played the character Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy. Off-screen, Arnaz was a TV production pioneer. He created the multi-camera system for half-hour television. The film also reveals the romantic, yet trying relationship between real-life couple Arnaz and Ball. Bardem was also nominated for a 2022 Oscar for Best Actor for his role. 03 of 07 Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance Amy Sussman/Getty; Hulton Archive/Getty Tony Award-winning actress Nina Arianda plays Vivian Vance – who co-starred as the character Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy. Vance's character was married to Fred Mertz, played by actor William Frawley in the original series. The comedic couple was known for their on-screen bickering – something that wasn't a stretch from what happened off screen. Arianda said in a CBS Sunday Morning interview, "Rumor has it that before they even set eyes on each other, Bill had overheard Vivian complain that she's going to be paired up with 'this old man'… that 'you're marrying me to my grandfather.' That did not go over well with Bill." 04 of 07 J.K. Simmons as William Frawley Kevin Winter/Getty; Getty Spider-Man star J.K. Simmons plays Bill Frawley in Being the Ricardos – the actor who plays Fred Mertz in I Love Lucy. Simmons told CBS Sunday Morning that he was shocked to learn about the toxic relationship between the original costars. He said, "I was really surprised that Bill and Vivian just couldn't stand each other. I thought that was just characters. I thought that was the Mertzs." Simmons was also nominated for a 2022 Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role. 05 of 07 Alia Shawkat as Madelyn Pugh Mike Pont/WireImage; CBS via Getty Arrested Development star Alia Shawkat plays Madelyn Pugh – a television writer for the sitcom I Love Lucy. Pugh concocted some of the most memorable scenes, alongside her fellow writing partners, including the episodes when Lucy dangles from a hotel balcony, poses as a sculpture, and stomps and wrestles in a vat full of grapes. Fans should be happy to know that the classic grape-stomping scene makes its return, recreated by Kidman in the trailer. 06 of 07 Jake Lacy as Bob Carroll Jr. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty; CBS via Getty The Office actor Jake Lacy plays Bob Carroll Jr. – another I Love Lucy writer who's credited for creating the ludicrous physical predicaments Ball gets herself into. 07 of 07 Tony Hale as Jess Oppenheimer Jim Spellman/WireImage; CBS Photo Archive/Getty Veep actor Tony Hale plays Jess Oppenheimer in Being the Ricardos – the head writer and producer of I Love Lucy. Hale told Entertainment Tonight how he got into character saying, "I really just tried to look at Jess and his relationship to Lucy... their relationship, and then his relationship with Desi, just to kind of find those human relationships."