Javier Bardem Defends Casting as Desi Arnaz in ‘Being the Ricardos’
Earlier this year, Spanish actor Javier Bardem made headlines for his controversial casting as Desi Arnaz in the then-upcoming film, Being the Ricardos

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/General Artists Corp./ David Torcivia
Ball and Arnaz married in 1940 and had two children, only to divorce in 1960 following the end of their follow-up show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Despite this, they remained close friends throughout their lives until Arnaz died in 1986, Ball died in 1989.
In Desilu, a biography published about the couple in 1993, Arnaz said several years before his death, “I Love Lucy was never just a title.” Being the Ricardos is now playing in theaters and will be available to stream on Amazon Prime on December 21, 2021.