Amy Poehler on Her Sundance Documentary ‘Lucy and Desi’ and Being ‘Open’ to Hosting Oscars
variety.comRebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterBelieve it or not (actually, it’s probably easy to believe), there was a time when pregnant women were deemed too risqué for broadcast television.
That changed when Lucille Ball was memorably rushed to the hospital to give birth on “I Love Lucy,” the groundbreaking sitcom that co-starred her real-life husband Desi Arnaz and left an indelible mark on show business.“Lucy and Desi,” a new documentary from director Amy Poehler, explores the unlikely rise to fame and enduring legacy of two comedy icons who broke barriers and subverted expectations about what it means to be an all-American couple.
In advance of the movie’s premiere at Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22, the former “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation” star spoke to Variety about her deep dive into all things Ball and Arnaz, the impressive longevity of “I Love Lucy” — a show that debuted in 1951 and continues to find fans in reruns — and her affinity for TikTok. What interested you in directing a documentary about Lucy and Desi?Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, over the years, have been kind of flattened out and made two dimensional.
I was really interested in seeing the people behind the images. People use words like “genius” and “icon” and “trailblazer,” but those aren’t human words. [Laughs] Those were words for machines and astronauts, which — they were both astronauts, for sure, and they were ahead of their time.
Read more on variety.com
