London. The Australian Margot Robbie not only embodies the “stereotypical” doll with blond hair and blue eyes in “Barbie”, but is also the producer of the film; the woman who, with a keen commercial eye, realized that “something incredible” could be made of the toy’s controversial history.
The 33-year-old actress, through her company LuckyChap, secured the rights from toy company Mattel and hired her admirer, Greta Gerwig, to conceive and direct the film, which opens July 20 in Spain and several Latin American capitals.
“I didn’t know what the plot would be like because it would depend on who wrote and directed it. But I knew what we wanted to achieve and I felt it was a great opportunity to be such a recognized name and such an iconic and polarizing figure on a global scale,” he explains in an interview with EFE in a Londoner Hotel.
Robbie says “I couldn’t be happier with the outcome,” a film with excellent performances, costumes and music that combines parody and criticism of patriarchy with an inevitable promotion of the brand.
Margot Robbie (External Source)
“One of the reasons I wanted Greta was because I knew she would deal with all the issues (around the puppet) while also providing a fun experience (for the audience) and something with a lot of heart,” he says .
The ‘I, Tonya’ performer reveals she told the director she ‘wouldn’t be offended’ if she didn’t choose her as the ‘stereotypical Barbie,’ the reference model for which she’s accused of being an unattainable role model a woman. However, Gerwig chose her.
Robbie also explains that although she was “agnostic” to the 1959 doll created by Ruth Handler as a child, making this film made her “appreciate what Mattel did to her in turning her into sort of a working woman “. of different sizes and ethnic minorities.
“We wanted Mattel to endorse the film, but we didn’t need their approval. “We didn’t have to follow any guidelines,” points out the actress, noting that one of the most ridiculed people in the film is “the CEO” of the American company.
Read more: Barbie: Here’s the hidden story of the world’s most famous doll
Margot Robbie (External Source)
“They were great when they made this possible for us. “I can’t think of any other major corporation that would have agreed to such a portrayal,” he says, adding that the taunt is definitely “affectionate.”
For her part, Gerwig, known for Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019), admits that when she received Robbie’s request, she didn’t know where the project she was embarking on with her “partner in” was going to lead be life and in art”, Noah Baumbach.
“We wrote it during the lockdown of the pandemic and I think it came out of that isolation and sadness,” he told EFE at the same presentation of the film in London.
“I didn’t set out to do a ‘Barbie’ story like that. When we started working, it was more like we were going to list almost everything that would make the film impossible and look for the story there,” he says.
Margot Robbie (External Source)
Gerwig, who recalls only inheriting Barbies as a child because her mother didn’t like them, says that “the most joyful thing” about this “amazing” film is “to see people laugh and cry who are together in it.” in a dark room.”
“Barbie” champions racial diversity, starring actors such as Issa Rae (the Barbie President) and Simu Liu (one of the Kens), while American-Honduran America Ferrera plays Gloria, a “fan” of Barbie who appears in “The Real World”. world” maturing “.
“When I was little, I never saw myself reflected in the world of Barbie, she was out of our reach (…) I was a daughter of immigrants, dark-haired, poor,” she tells EFE.
Although she was “surprised” when offered the role, she was interested in working with Robbie and Gerwig and, she explains, tried to portray Gloria as “a woman in all her facets”.
The second best in the Barbie world is, of course, her eternal admirer Ken. To sketch the character, whose main title is Canadian actor Ryan Gosling, Gerwig asked the interpreters to imagine themselves as giant children playing in a park’s sandbox.
“Everything in the process was unexpected. It’s multi-layered, complex, diverse, but most of all it’s fun. It’s like a party to which everyone is invited. In a way it’s not just a movie – it’s like an amusement park where you can ride whatever you want,” he explains.