Here's What Nicole Kidman Had To Say About Replacing Cate Blanchett As Lucille Ball In "Being The Ricardos"

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Nicole Kidman is opening up about the behind-the-scenes change-up that landed her a starring role in Being the Ricardos.

A closeup of Nicole
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Originally, Cate Blanchett was cast to play the iconic role of Lucille Ball — but had to drop out due to scheduling.

A closeup of Cate
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After an intensive search, Nicole was named as Cate's replacement, and when asked about filling her shoes, Nicole shared the industry motto she holds about casting.

"I feel like there’s a sacred pact among us all — whoever gets something, that’s where it was meant to land," Nicole told the New York Times.

A closeup of Nicole
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Meanwhile, Lucille and Desi Arnaz's daughter, Lucie Arnaz, who served as an executive producer on the film, says she was "devastated" when Cate left the project.

A closeup of Cate
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"It just took too long and we lost her. I was devastated," Lucie said, adding that finding a replacement took a long time.

Nicole plays Lucy in the film and embraces Dezi
Glen Wilson / © Amazon Studios / courtesy Everett Collection

"None of them made me happy. It was always like, who's the flavor of the month? Who's got the hot movie of the minute?" she shared, adding of Nicole, "I thought that's good — we should only be looking at Australian actresses for this!"

Nicole in costume poses with Lucie
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And although there was initially backlash to Nicole's casting, Lucie couldn't have been happier with the choice.

"What she did was astounding. She's got such poise and class," Lucie told Palm Springs Life.

Nicole plays Lucy wearing a pant suit while standing in a wardrobe room
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Being the Ricardos is available now on Amazon Prime Video.