Clash with Cillian Murphy’s ‘Oppenheimer’ Does Not Even Bother ‘Barbie’ Director Greta Gerwig
One of the most eagerly anticipated clashes that the audience has been anticipating is the box office showdown between Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Given that both films will be released on the same day, the conflict has been dubbed Barbenheimer.
The world premiere of the movie, starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, and more took place on Sunday at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, where Greta Gerwig spoke about the infamous clash between the two films.
Greta Gerwig weighs in on Barbie’s clash with Oppenheimer
At the world premiere of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie starring actress Margot Robbie and actor Ryan Gosling at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, the director was asked about her opinion on the famous clash between the two iconic movies; Barbie and Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy.
The director, who donned a stunning pink floor length maxi-gown with an oversized blazer for the premiere, said,
“It’s all love — double up, double up twice. I think you’ve got to see what the experience is; Barbie, then Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer then Barbie. I think you’ve got to take all of the journeys.”
Actress Issa Rae who plays President Barbie in the movie also shared her view on the clash of the two iconic movies, stating that she finds it hilarious, adding that she loves that there is solidarity when people try to pit them against one another, but now it has turned into a double-feature situation.
The actress further suggested, “Obviously, you should see Oppenheimer first and then cleanse your palate with Barbie.” The actress had perfect reasoning as to why she suggested watching Oppenheimer first, which is,
“It is about an atomic bomb, people are going to die. I want to end my weekend. I want to have mimosas and drinks and cocktails after Barbie. I don’t want to like sulk. That’s just my plan. As long as you’re seeing Barbie, I don’t care.”
Greta Gerwig on honoring both the ‘joy’ and the ‘complicated nature’ of Barbie
During an interview with ComicBook, Gerwig shared that with her movie she has tried to honor both the joy that it brought for children along with portraying the complicated nature of her.
She explained,
“I think it’s just that, stepping into this sort of thorniness and the complications of it and not wallpapering over anything that felt yucky, that we wanted to create the story out of what felt like things that you couldn’t say. We wanted to say it and see where that led us. I think that that was at the heart of it. Then, also, just how do you capture the joy and the excitement of being a little girl looking at that stuff and just loving it and the hair and the sparkles and all the things?
Gerwig continued,
“There’s a real sense of memory of that. Then also being able to look at it as a grown woman and be like, ‘I see it all differently now,’ and being able to honor both of them. That was kind of a trick of the movie.”
The director shared during the interview that she has had a complicated history with Barbie as a toy, adding that she was intrigued by them as a child, sharing that it was not exactly forbidden in her household but also never encouraged either. She also revealed that she played with dolls when she was a teenager and she knew that kids at that time were kissing while she was busy playing with dolls.
Simu Liu talks about facing off against Ryan Gosling in Barbie
It’s like a perpetual sunset in Barbie Land, according to actor Simu Liu, who plays one of the Kens in the film. He continued,
“It’s always golden hour; it’s kind of like a Chloé Zhao movie, the sun is always hitting at the right angle. There was a lot of pink—likely more pink than I had ever seen in my life.”
The Marvel actor also hinted that he and Ryan Gosling, who play the main Ken in the movie, had to slightly channel their American nature for their characters to face off, unlike what they really are as Canadians. Liu referred to,
“It’s a delicious dynamic to play, especially for two Canadians who are supposed to be very polite by nature. I think we had to channel our inner American a little bit, a little butting of heads.”
Liu lastly added that he is excited for everyone to see how the relationship unfolds on-screen.
Barbie and Oppenheimer both bow at theaters on July 21.
Source: THR
