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'I am way out of my comfort zone': Nicole Kidman reveals challenges playing Lucille Ball

Nicole Kidman is opening up about her latest role as Lucille Ball.

The 53-year-old actress from Australia is set to play the legendary comedian in the upcoming film "Being the Ricardos." Kidman is no stranger to accents, she's had to mask her Australian lilt for roles in TV Series and films like "Moulin Rouge," "The Undoing" and "Bombshell." But Kidman confided to Chris Rock in an interview published by Variety that adopting Ball's way of speaking is particularly challenging.

Kidman and Rock were discussing things they do to prepare for acting roles. Kidman told the comedian she treats accents like homework and often puts the time in to get them down, but said for her upcoming role she's put in extra credit.

"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 said.

Nicole Kidman admits she is out of her "comfort zone" playing Lucille Ball for upcoming movie.
Nicole Kidman admits she is out of her "comfort zone" playing Lucille Ball for upcoming movie.

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Aaron Sorkin's "Being the Ricardos" follows Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz as they face challenges in their marriage and in their careers behind the scenes. Kidman admits she's been facing behind the scenes challenges of her own trying to portray Ball on screen.

"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."

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Her most recent role was playing Grace Fraser opposite Hugh Grant as Jonathan Fraser in HBO thriller "The Undoing." In the series, Kidman plays a successful therapist who unfolds incriminating secrets about her husband while he is on trial for the murder of his mistress. She found difficulty in that role also but because it was filmed during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

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"I would like to be able to say it's easy, but it's actually difficult," Kidman previously told USA TODAY. "We get tested three times a week, everyone's masked, there's zones that you work in. It was so good to be able to give people jobs and to be able to do something right now. And I will only say 'for now,' because you can get shut down at any time."

"Being the Ricardos" is in post-production according to IMDb and has not been given a release date.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nicole Kidman says playing Lucille Ball is outside her 'comfort zone'