Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz starring as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were the first famous multicultural marriage in show business. According to Biography.com Desiderio Alberto Arnaz III was born on March 2, 1917 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. His family had known great wealth, but also great poverty, and by the time he arrived in America, Desi took work cleaning bird cages before trying his hand in the entertainment world Lucille Ball was working as a model and B movie actress when they starred together in the film “Too Many Girls” released in 1940. Their long and winding courtship played out over the years with their marriage later that same year.
Before the term “supercouple” became part of the pop culture vernacular, Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz were trailblazers in show business. Although Lucy and Desi were talented stars in their own right, together they formed an incredible show business team that would blaze a trail in television programming, and formed their own production company, Desilu Productions, when it was practically unheard of to do such a thing,
Although both Lucy and Desi have not starred in a major work in decades, and are both deceased, their legacy lives on in the hearts of fans of all ages thanks to syndicated reruns on late night television. Talks continue about a movie detailing their life, which was as interesting off camera as it was on camera. The question is who could play the iconic couple? Should it be another hollywood supercouple? Or just a random pairing of two stars that could adopt the personas and generate their chemistry on the big screen. An argument could be made for both approaches.
Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar:
Ever since starring in “I Know What You Did Last Summer” in 1997, this teen supercouple only had eyes for each other, no matter with whom they were cast. Twenty years later, their marriage is still going strong. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Geller are the perfect age to play Lucy and Desi as they aged through the years. And yes, Sarah Michelle Gellar has a wider range of acting experience than just “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. She and Prinze also have the coordination and agility to perform the dance numbers like Cuban Pete, .. Freddie’s heritage includes Puerto Rican blood from his dad’s mother. His facial structure and expressions are similar to Arnaz’s, and both have the latin sizzling sex appeal. Physical comedy comes easy to the son of later comedian Freddie Prinze. Sarah Michelle Geller is not a natural redhead but neither was Lucille Ball. In her early career Lucy had dyed her hair blonde to get more modeling and acting jobs. The chemistry between these two actors, who married in 2002, could be perfect
Other actors have tried to bring the couple to life on screen. A mediocre attempt was made in 1991 with “Lucy and Desi-Before the Laughter”. Starring Frances Fisher and Maurice Bernard (Sonny from General Hospital) in the title roles.
The physical resemblance was okay, but the mannerisms were not spot on according to some fans. Still, it was a movie about Lucy and Ricky and until a better casting choice can be made, it’s all there is. Continuing to speculate on casting a new film, there are articles saying that Cate Blanchette may take on the role of Lucille Ball in an upcoming project. According to the IMDB, the film is still in pre-production.Will it ever be made? Who knows? Cate Blanchette has gone on to other projects and is currently filming two TV Series “Stateless” and “Mrs. America” both due out in 2020.
Considering redheaded actresses for the role of Lucy, some names naturally stand out. Karen Gillan, who played Amy Pond on “Dr. Who”. Amy Adams, who has done noteworthy work in both comedic and dramatic roles, and of course Debra Messing, whose name has come up time and again when discussing the ideal Lucy, and rumor had it years ago according to SF gate that Lucy’s daughter had offered her the role. With so many talented actresses and comedians perfect for the role, it would be hard, but not impossible, to find the perfect Lucy. Amy Poehler with her large expressive eyes and wide smile could do the job admirably. She also possesses a comedic timing essential for the character.
When it comes to playing Desi Arnaz, only a Hispanic male should be considered for the role. With the plethora of talented Latino actors, why go anywhere else to find Ricky Ricardo? Desi and Lucille faced some pretty fiece prejudice and discrimination due to being considered a “mixed” couple, as society still dictated that when it came to love, it was proper to “stick to your own kind”. That is why the movie “West Side Story” a retelling of Romeo and Juliet in world where Irish and Hispanic boys and girls were not supposed to mix, resonated with movie goers.
So why not Desi Arnaz Jr. to step into his father’s shoes for the role? He certainly has the looks spot on, the voice, the musical talent. The only issue is that Desi Jr. was born in 1953, so it would be hard to have him play his dad circa 1950s and 60s, during the heyday of Lucy and Desi’s career.
Ricky Martin is another strong possiblity. How about an actor who appears to be a longshot, but might just work. John Leguizamo. He has an adorable face, the versatility and more than a decade younger than Desi Jr. he could glide through the role with the right make up. Mark Consuelos is another strong contender, as long as they don’t cast his real life wife Kelly Ripa as Lucy. Ripa is quite good at what she does,on talk shows etc, but she just could not pull off being Lucy.
No matter who appears in this stellar film, it’s clear that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz fans everywhere will be tuning in to watch. Because all of us do love Lucy and her glamorous, yet heart wrenching love affair with Desi Arnaz.
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