Barbie is getting the live-action treatment, and she’s ready to slay. Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie takes on the titular role of Barbie in the Greta Gerwig film alongside Ryan Gosling and many other hit Hollywood actors.
Margot talked to Vogue about the highly-anticipated film, including the claims that Barbie’s being sexualized in the movie. The actress also revealed how Greta helped her get into Barbie’s head during filming.
Warner Bros. released the latest teaser trailer for Barbie on April 3. Margot wears fabulous all-pink outfits and drives the iconic Barbie pink convertible with Ryan (as Ken) in the backseat. She also meets other versions of Barbie played by big-time actresses.
In the first teaser trailer, which was released in December 2022, Margot donned the iconic black and white swimsuit Barbie first wore in 1959. The teaser initially played before Avatar: The Way of Water screenings before being released wide. Here is everything you need to know about the Barbie movie.
The Cast
Greta’s latest project is filled with many A-list actors! Aside from Margot taking on the role of Barbie, many others will join her, including Ryan Gosling as Ken. On June 15, Warner Bros. Pictures shared a photo of Ryan in character via Twitter! Will Ferrell is playing the role of CEO of Mattel, the toy company that created the Barbie doll in 1959.
Other cast members include Sex Education‘s Emma Mackey, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu, America Ferrera of Ugly Betty, former SNL star Kate McKinnon, Insecure‘s Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Michael Cera, and more. America spoke to PEOPLE about the upcoming movie and shared that audiences should let go of any expectations. “People don’t have any idea what to expect [with the film], and I think that that’s the right vibe,” she said. “Whatever you think it is, it’s not that. It’s something else.” Don’t believer her? Just check out some of the character posters!
Margot Robbie
Ryan Gosling
Kate McKinnon
America Ferrara
Dua Lipa
Alexandra Shipp
Simu Liu
Issa Rae
Barbie Release Date
The studio officially announced the release date for the highly anticipated film on April 26, via Instagram. In the announcement, Warner Bros. also shared a photo of Margot as the beloved character! They captioned the post with the release date, “#BARBIE July 21, 2023 Only in theaters.”
Barbie‘s star even spoke about the project to British Vogue way back in June 2021. “Right, it comes with a lot of baggage [playing Barbie]!” Margot said. “And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t.’” Greta directed the 2017 indie film, Lady Bird, as well as 2019 movie Little Women starring Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet.
First Look
The official teaser trailer for Barbie dropped on December 16. Aside from Margot, fans got a glimpse at Ryan as Ken, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, and more. They also got to see Margot wearing the iconic Barbie black and white swimsuit.
In addition, Margot and Ryan were spotted out and about during the filming of the movie! A source close to the production team told HollywoodLife that the actress even worked on her birthday. “Margot had to work her birthday week but it was so sweet because she was surprised when the cast and crew got her a giant Barbie cake to celebrate her birthday while working,” the insider told us. Some of the first looks at the character included a hot pink cowgirl outfit and Ryan’s black cowboy look. They were even spotted in a 1980s rollerblade look with hot pink ensembles embracing the iconic doll’s famous color.
Plot
Viewers will see Margot’s character find herself outside of “Barbieland” after not being perfect enough, as she ventures off into the real world, according to Movie Insider. However, the actress has told people to leave all preconceived notions at the door.
In Dec. 2020, Margot told The Hollywood Reporter, “We like the things that feel a little left of center. Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, ‘Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,’ but our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted.’”
To prepare for Barbie, Margot told Vogue that Greta told her to listen to an episode of the podcast This American Life about a woman who doesn’t introspect. In that same interview, Margot weighed in on the debate the Barbie is being sexualized for the movie. ““I’m like, ‘Okay, she’s a doll. She’s a plastic doll.’ She doesn’t have organs. If she doesn’t have organs, she doesn’t have reproductive organs,” Margot said. “I she doesn’t have reproductive organs, would she even feel sexual desire? No, I don’t think she could. She is sexualized. But she should never be sexy. People can project sex onto her. Yes, she can wear a short skirt, but because it’s fun and pink. Not because she wanted you to see her butt.”
The Wolf of Wall Street star is co-producing the film along with her husband Tom Ackerley. Others producing include Robbie Brenner, Walter Parkes, David Heyman, real-life Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, and Josey McNamara.
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