“You Are Enough”– An Interview with Lucie Arnaz

Written by: Amber Baldwin

It was a chilly Friday evening when I went to the elegant Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Indiana, to watch the radiant Lucie Arnaz perform.

Prior to the performance, I was fortunate enough to be granted an interview with the gracious and fabulous Lucie Arnaz. I was so lucky to get this interview because I’m a writer for The Defender.

Writing for The Defender has its advantages, like getting to interview all kinds of people and having opportunities like attending concerts, political debates, and learning more about different people and places. If you have ever considered writing for The Defender, I recommend it. It’s been an amazing experience.

Now back to the show.

Lucie’s act is called “I Got the Job! Songs from My Musical Past,” and it defiantly shows why she got the job (pun intended). But it’s not just her singing that makes her stand out to others. It’s also her hard work and professionalism. Being in the business for almost 60 years, she has some great advice.

Knowing what she knows now, I asked her what advice she would give to her younger self.

“I think when I look at my younger self, and I can do that now because there’s so much film on me out there. I see a little girl who’s trying very hard to be funny. To maybe be as funny as the people she was surrounded by. I think I had a real hard time settling down and not trying to “fake sparkle.” I would tell myself every day, you’re beautiful. You have your own talent, Lucie, (with an) ‘IE’, You are enough.”

Lucie returns to this “you are enough” many times, which felt empowering each time she spoke it. Lucie continued, “Be yourself, Lucie. Don’t try to be anyone else. You are–here comes that word again– enough. You are enough.”

I asked if she had any advice for students or other people starting their careers. “Please don’t try to be anyone else. Bring your original amazing self to the universe. Discover what your bliss is and follow it. Trust yourself. Take care of your health. Get the best education you can. Read everything you can get your hands on, especially all different kinds of opinions about politics and history and religion and social studies.”

Lucie continued with more great advice, which might be hard to hear but very poignant for today, “Stay off the Internet as much as possible and talk to people. Study people. Don’t try to be anybody other than who you are. We don’t need a duplicate of anybody else that’s already out there. Be your best original self.”

Lucie Arnaz does more than give advice. She is a performer on the stage, on screen, and tv. She is a businesswoman, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She is also a producer.

One of her most recent works is being a part of the movie, Being the Ricardos. It has been nominated and won many awards, including nominations for best actress, best actor, and best supporting actor at the 2022 Oscars.

Arnaz was even able to attend the Academy Awards this year. “I have never actually sat in the audience for the Oscar ceremony. I have opened the Oscar ceremony with the big opening number “Hooray for Hollywood” in 1981, which was a huge thrill for me. Look it up. It was a pretty amazing big production number that they don’t even do anymore, so that’s a nice memory to have.”

She continues more about her Oscar experience, “I was with David Williams, my wonderful manager, and we laughed, and he knew a couple of people that were sitting around us, so we made the best of it but to tell you the truth unless I have to go because I’m nominated for producing or something, I don’t think I need to go do that again. I really do enjoy watching the Oscars from home with a big bowl of chips and guacamole in my pajamas.”

Me too, Lucie, me too.

And as a viewer of the Oscars at home, I mentioned to her how there were some intense moments and some not-so-great jokes. Arnaz wholeheartedly agreed with me with a witty, “You think!?!” referring to the slap, the awkward jokes, and the Liza incident.

Lucie had a fascinating take on the Liza Minnelli and Lady Gaga moment that showed the good friend side while also the producer side of her career when discussing the moment.

Lucie begins, “Personally, that was not a great moment. I know Liza, and I have such deep respect that I felt she should have been presented in a much kinder way. If indeed it was the 50th anniversary of Cabaret, then if I [were] producing, I would have had a lovely clip of her in Cabaret that set that piece up [then] if you need somebody else to come out and read the nominations, and she gets to read the winner, then fantastic but treat her with respect and dignity, and I didn’t think they did that.”

Lucie continues, “Lady Gaga tried, and she looked great…so for me, Liza’s friend for many decades, I would have liked to have seen them produce that segment better.”

Attending the Oscars isn’t the only thing Lucie Arnaz has been up to lately. She also went back on tour with the brilliant musical director Ron Abel. This year, her first performance was at The Purple Room in Palm Springs, California, where all three of her shows were sold out. I was fortunate to attend a show in Indiana and suggest catching one. You won’t be disappointed. To see her full schedule and order tickets, head over to http://www.luciearnaz.com/lucies-calendar.

The website is continually updated, and you do not want to miss one of her shows. Arnaz has been working very hard to reschedule all of her canceled shows because of the pandemic. When asked what keeps her motivated, she stated:

“I have to say the bliss of doing it (performing) is what keeps me going. For me, it’s not hard work. The hard work is schlepping around and taking planes and packing, and you know all that. That’s the work. That’s what we get paid for. Doing, I would do for free the acting, the singing, the dancing, the trapeze work, the whatever. That’s all my bliss, so what motivates me to keep going is how much I love what I do. You know you really need to love it because this particular business that I’m in is full of rejection, highs, and lows.”

Lucie Arnaz is a lovely, delightful person who is not afraid to speak her mind and loves her career. Arnaz started performing as a child, and before appearing on stage in Seesaw in 1974, she appeared on The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy with her mother, the legendary Lucille Ball. Her father, Desi Arnaz and Lucy, the stars of I Love Lucy, changed the television industry into what it is today.

To stay up to date with Lucie Arnaz, check out her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Website: http://www.luciearnaz.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luciearnazofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luciearnazofficial/?hl=en