J.K. SIMMONS AND NINA ARIANDA as William Frawley and Vivian Vance, who played the Ricardos’ quarrelsome neighbors, the Mertzes.
SUPPORTING THE RICARDOS A Handpicked Ensemble of Acclaimed Actors Inhabit the Roles of I Love Lucy ’s Supporting Cast and Creative Team
With Academy Award ® winners Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem heading up the cast and Aaron Sorkin in the director’s chair, Being the Ricardos had no trouble attracting a group of top-notch actors with shelves full of Oscars ® , Emmys ® , Golden Globes ® and Tonys ® of their own for its meaty supporting roles. “I was so amazed by the level of this cast,” remarks Kidman. “But when Aaron Sorkin calls, everyone says, “Yes.” Every actor was handpicked by him. His writing requires such skill with language, you always have to be on your toes.” In the role of William Frawley, the vaudeville veteran who played cantankerous landlord Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy , Sorkin cast Oscar ® winner J.K. Simmons. Although he had never appeared in one of the writer-director’s films before, he played Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessup in the Broadway debut of A Few Good Men early in both men’s careers. “Any actor who
reads any Aaron Sorkin script has to be astounded and excited,” Simmons says. “The words on the page are the words on the stage. You don’t mess with Aaron Sorkin’s words.” Frawley was already a veteran character actor when he joined the cast of I Love Lucy , notes Simmons. “I thought I knew who he was, but some aspects of his life surprised me,” he confesses. “There aren’t a lot of clips of Bill Frawley being himself, which was frustrating at first but ultimately kind of freeing. There are a few specific things about the way Fred Mertz carried himself that I tried to incorporate into the scenes within the scenes. As with any character, I try to be consistent and not put too much of myself into it.” Simmons, who won an Oscar ® , a Golden Globe ® , a BAFTA and countless critics’ awards for his role as an abusive jazz bandleader in Whiplash , counts himself lucky to be part of
TONY HALE AND ALIA SHAWKAT trade jokes and barbs in the writers’ room as longtime collaborators Jess Oppenheimer and Madelyn Pugh.
KEEPING IT REAL. Sorkin focused on the characters’ humanity and relationships, says Hale.
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