Lucille Ball's Daughter Says Nicole Kidman Is 'Astounding' as Her Mom in Upcoming Movie

Lucie Arnaz praised Nicole Kidman's "spectacular job" playing Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos, adding that the actress has "such poise and class"

Nicole Kidman, Lucille Ball. Photo: Leon Bennett/Getty; Silver Screen Collection/Getty

Nicole Kidman has already won over the daughter of Lucille Ball with her upcoming performance as the late comedy icon.

Kidman, 54, is set to play Ball in Aaron Sorkin's highly anticipated biopic Being the Ricardos, which follows the comedian and her husband, Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem), during a week of production on I Love Lucy. Kidman received the ultimate compliment from the couple's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, who praised Kidman's "spectacular" turn as her mother in the upcoming drama.

Speaking to Palm Springs Life, Arnaz, 70, said she visited the Being the Ricardos set for two days, describing what she saw then as "extremely classy and first rate," and praising the cast as "really great performers."

Mike Marsland/WireImage; Kevork Djansezian/Getty

Arnaz applauded Kidman specifically for her performance.

"Nicole did a spectacular job. The two days that I watched, though, were both little flashbacks, so she was playing Lucy in the late '30s and mid-'40s. She wasn't Lucy of Lucy Ricardo fame yet, so it was a trifle different," Arnaz said.

She added, "And I know she meant it to be, so it could feel different. But boy, what she did was astounding. She's got such poise and class."

While Arnaz had nothing but praise for Kidman, she told the outlet that Being the Ricardos features "certain scenes" that she "wished" Sorkin hadn't included in the film.

"I couldn't get my way and have them taken out, but they weren't accurate. And I thought, 'That shouldn't be in there, because that never happened. That's not true,' " she said, without providing specifics.

"And it's not just theatrical license, it just wasn't true," Arnaz continued. "And the day they shot the scene, the sprinklers went off on the set and destroyed the whole set."

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. Archive Photos/Getty

In a June conversation with Chris Rock for Variety, Kidman revealed her process behind playing Ball, which involved nailing her dialect.

"I've had to put in an enormous amount of time on Lucille Ball right now, because she has a very particular way of speaking," she told Rock, before admitting she was facing a new challenge by taking on the comedic role.

"I am way out of my comfort zone right now, Chris! I'm free-falling," Kidman said. "I'd like to be funny. I'm never cast funny."

The Undoing actress added that she's "hopefully" funny in the role.

"The strange thing about Lucille Ball is that everyone thinks we're remaking the I Love Lucy show, and it's so not that. It's about Lucy and Desi and their relationship and their marriage," she said. "It's very deep, actually."

Being the Ricardos also stars Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg, J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda.

The film does not yet have an official premiere date.