what he calls “an unbelievable group of actors.” His character serves as a sage advisor to Ball and a constant irritant to his Lucy co-star Vivian Vance, played by Tony Award ® -winning actress Nina Arianda. “Nina may not be as well known as some of the others, but she is genius in that role,” he says. Arianda recalls watching I Love Lucy with her entire extended family as a child. “I love the show and I love Vivian,” she says. “It was scary to play such a beloved public figure. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone and I certainly didn’t want to do a disservice to her.” The actress was relievedwhen Sorkin said hewas not looking for an impression of Vance, who became a close friend of Ball’s and reportedly never got along with Frawley. “That took a little bit of pressure off. I did work with a dialect coach. I watched videos of Vivian as herself. I found one picture in particular that I thought nailed her. She had a pensive, introspective quality that I didn’t associate with Ethel. That gave me something to focus on that not many people know about her.” Another aspect of her character’s life that informed Arianda’s performance: Vance had been known as a glamorous Broadway singer and dancer before joining the Lucy cast. “She had played ingénues most of her career,” explains the actress. “She had a whole line of Vivian Vance beauty products. It was quite jarring to go from that to playing Ethel Mertz. Being the butt of jokes about her appearance and age was deeply frustrating.” Tony Hale, a two-time Emmy ® winner for his role on HBO’s acclaimed sitcom Veep , plays JessOppenheimer, executiveproducer and head writer of I Love Lucy . “Jess and Lucy have a long history together,” Hale notes. “They went through a lot together. They had a respect and trust for each other that was unique.” SUPPORTING THE RICARDOS CONTINUED
Sorkin’s strength, in Hale’s opinion, is finding the reality in every situation. “Rather than focus on how these characters are typically played within the era, he consistently focused on their humanity and their relationships,” the actor observes. “It’s always exciting to look behind the curtain.” The actor’s favorite moments in the film are the scenes in the writers’ room where Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr. hash out story ideas for I Love Lucy . As Hale, who has firsthand experience in that world, explains, “In any writers’ room, you are pitching jokes and ideas. You are hoping that the star of the show likes the ideas. It can get competitive, but you’re also feeding off each other as you build the scene.” Pugh worked on every episode of I Love Lucy . One of very few women writing for television in the 1950 s, her responsibilities included road-testing some of Ball’s wacky stunts. The award-winning actress who plays her, Alia Shawkat, is also a writer, producer and director. “It’s really crazy to realize how many genius episodes she wrote, one after another.” An avid fan of I Love Lucy and Ball, Shawkat loved the idea of a film dedicated to Lucy and Desi’s marriage and creative partnership. “Aaron is a very gifted storyteller,” she says. “Madelyn is given a whole other arc that was so much fun to play. She is trying to talk to Lucy about a woman’s perspective through the eyes of a younger generation. She wants to convince her not to always play a woman who is just appeasing her husband and his rules.” Shawkat says she is honored to be part of such an illustrious cast. “I’m a fan of every actor in this group. They were so passionate about what they do. And they’ve all done huge projects. It made me feel like I had to make sure I knew what I was doing!”
Who needs to borrow a cup of sugar when your neighbor’s got Butterswe
et!
Sweetest thing since pure molasses!
Nothing says class and wisdom like a freshly fashioned, finely combed, French-pressed felt fedora. Wrap up one of these crisp crowns with a silken headband and you might as well call it a bow, tied atop the best gift money CAN buy. William Frawley ( I Love Lucy ’s Fred Mertz) swears by ’em. And who can argue with him (other than Ethel)?
Pour on the best-kept, sweet secret to a tasty breakfast since the invention of jam. Formulated from the Knepps’ generations-old family recipe, BUTTERSWEET SYRUP is the perfect mix of 100% pure maple flavoring and quadruple-churned butter substitute. The result is the thickest, quickest, finger-licking syrup south of Canada. Stack your flapjacks in your flavor, take the awful out of your waffle and drench your whole breakfast in yum!
Pugh (Alia Shawkat) and longtime friend and co-star Vance (Nina Arianda).
BALL SURROUNDED HERSELF with talented women throughout her career, including Emmy ® -nominated writer
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