One excellent example of spot-on casting would be J.K. Simmons in Being the Ricardos. While some of the film's casting had been the subject of debate with fans prior to release, it was pretty clear to everyone as soon as the news was first announced that Simmons was perfect for Fred Mertz actor William Frawley. The actor has since proven that to be true by turning in an acclaimed performance that has him up for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards. However, one person who wasn't surprised to see Simmons take to the role so well was director Aaron Sorkin.
In a new interview with Variety, Sorkin spoke about Simmons' casting in the film. The filmmaker explains that with all of his screenplays, he never writes characters with any certain actors in mind. Things were different when it came to including William Frawley in Being the Ricardos as Sorkin knew right away that Simmons was the only actor he wanted for the role. In fact, Sorkin feels Simmons comes closer to matching the character than anyone else he's ever written.
"In the case of William Frawley, there was only one actor I wanted. Frawley and J.K. is the closest I’ve come to writing a part for an actor.”
Sorkin has been a fan of Simmons for three decades, going back to when he caught the actor in a Broadway performance of A Few Good Men. As Simmons "blew teh doors off the theater" with his performance, he had always stayed in Sorkin's mind as a fantastic actor. When the time came for Simmons to read for the part of William Frawley, he didn't even need to audition, as Sorkin actually felt like he was the one convincing Simmons to join the film.
“J.K. doesn’t have to audition, certainly not for me. We had a Zoom meeting and I felt like I was auditioning for J.K."
J.K. Simmons Signed On After Reading the Script
Fortunately for Aaron Sorkin, J.K. Simmons was happy to come on board for Being the Ricardos. He was immediately drawn to the project after reading the screenplay, which he couldn't help but read twice. The admiration Sorkin has for Simmons is also mutual as the actor offered some praise for how the filmmaker brings out the excellence in his performers. As Simmons says:
“When I got the script, I immediately read it twice, and this is something I rarely do. I so enjoyed the structure of it and the intimacy of it and the brilliance with which he gives gift after gift after gift to every actor.”
Being the Ricardos is written and directed by Sorkin. Along with Simmons as William Frawley, the film stars Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball, Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz, and Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance. The acclaimed film, which is up for Best Screenplay at the Oscars in addition to acting awards for Kidman, Bardem, and Simmons, delves into the relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz during the production of I Love Lucy.
Being the Ricardos is streaming on Prime Video.