Lucille Ball's daughter says she was 'devastated' when Cate Blanchett pulled out of playing her mom in 'Being the Ricardos'

• Lucille Ball's daughter was "devastated" when Cate Blanchett had to exit Aaron Sorkin's biopic.
• Lucie Arnaz said that at first, "none" of Blanchett's prospective replacements "made me happy."

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, told The New York Times she was "devastated" when Cate Blanchett had to pull out of the project that eventually became Aaron Sorkin's "Being the Ricardos."

Arnaz said that getting the project off the ground "just took too long and we lost her." Deadline reported in 2015 that Blanchett was attached to a "Lucille Ball biopic project" and that Sorkin was "in talks" to write it. Blanchett was still set to play Ball as late as 2017, according to Deadline, but by January, the publication reported that Nicole Kidman was in negotiations to play the beloved comedian.

"Being the Ricardos," which was released this month, was originally conceived as a miniseries for television before it turned into the biopic, Arnaz, who was an executive producer for the film, told The Times.

Replacing Blanchett was no easy feat for the daughter of the adored on-screen couple. Arnaz said none of the actors who were initially suggested for the part after Blanchett stepped away "made me happy."

"It was always like, 'Who's the flavor of the month? Who's got the hot movie of the minute?'" Arnaz told The Times.

"I Love Lucy" fans were vocal on social media about wanting the "Will & Grace" star Debra Messing to step into Ball's shoes after she played the icon's alter ego, Lucy Ricardo, in a 2020 episode of the sitcom reboot.

Arnaz herself played the chocolate-factory boss on that episode, titled "We Love Lucy." But Arnaz told The Times that Messing "just wants to be that person so bad" and that the team behind the biopic wasn't "doing that."

The Sorkin film is a drama that features only about three minutes of Ball playing her most famous character. Sorkin previously told Insider he purposefully avoided mimicking many iconic episodes of the beloved sitcom, as he didn't want to make a film about "'I Love Lucy's' greatest hits."

"Being the Ricardos" is an examination of some of Ball's most intense life experiences. So when Kidman expressed a desire for the part, Arnaz said she was interested, despite backlash against her casting on social media.

Arnaz told The Times that some of her mother's and Kidman's life experiences were similar because Kidman "had been married before — she understood divorce and trying to raise your children in the spotlight."

The Times described Desi Arnaz as having alcoholism, and Lucie Arnaz referenced the addiction of Kidman's husband, Keith Urban, saying that Kidman "understood a husband who had an addiction problem."

Kidman didn't directly compare herself to Ball on a personal level while speaking with The Times but said that she learned how complex Ball was and came to appreciate her more while making the film.

"She loved a person who loved her but couldn't give her want she wanted most," Kidman said, referring to Desi Arnaz cheating on Ball.

Kidman also said Ball "was really funny but she wanted to be a movie star."

"Being the Ricardos" is streaming now on Prime Video.