“I don’t know how to take that”: Greta Gerwig Only Had 1 Type of Barbie She Thought was Perfect for Saoirse Ronan
Writer, actress, and filmmaker Greta Gerwig is without a doubt one of the most influential people in the world who started her career working on independent movies before moving on to major studio films. Gerwig is known for successful movies including Frances Ha, Lady Bird, Little Women, and many more.
Her latest record-breaking movie was Barbie which starred Margot Robbie as the lead and went on to become the first film from a solo female director to gross over $1 billion. She co-wrote the script with her partner Noah Baumbach and earned a nomination at the 2024 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Greta Gerwig had shared about being disappointed with two stars that she wanted to do a cameo in the movie but they couldn’t. Let’s find out more.
Saoirse Ronan talks about a scrapped cameo in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie
Filmmaker Greta Gerwig and actress Saoirse Ronan have worked together in 2017’s Lady Bird and 2019’s Little Women and have since formed a close bond. Ronan in an interview with Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, had shared about the cameo she was supposed to do in 2023’s Barbie but couldn’t do. Talking about the cameo she said,
“I was definitely going to be a weird Barbie. I don’t know how to take that, you know? I mean, I would have been with Kate McKinnon, so that would have been nice. But yeah, I worked with Jacqueline Durran, the costume designer, after they’d made it, I was like who was I going to be anyway?”
The Irish actress during the interview was asked if she remembers the scene she was supposed to film for Barbie, if her schedule had not gotten in the way. To which she revealed that she does not remember it correctly but it was ‘weird’. She went onto explain;
“I think I’d be the very strange girl that talked to herself and always had her pet dog with her all the time and she just talked to the dog and wouldn’t look at anyone.”
Greta Gerwig revealed in an interview with CinemaBlend that both Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet had cameos in the movie. She said at the time that the actors couldn’t do the cameos and she was so annoyed but she loved them so much. Gerwig added that making Barbie without them felt like doing something without her children, clarifying that she sort of feels like their mom.
Ryan Gosling ‘disappointed’ with Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s Oscar snubs
Barbie starred Ryan Gosling as Ken alongside Margot Robbie, for which the audience as well as the critics appreciated him. The actor’s hard work and dedication to portraying Ken on-screen was recognized as he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for an Academy Award in 2024.
Surprisingly, Margot Robbie was not nominated for Best Actress but as the producer of the movie, and Gerwig was nominated alongside her partner Noah Bauchman for Best Adapted Screenplay and not for Best Director. Gosling shared a statement addressing the snubs of the two women stating via Time;
“I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I’d be saying this, but I am also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken.”
Gosling continued to mention that there is no Ken without Barbie and there is no Barbie movie without Great Gerwig and Margot Robbie. The actor went ahead to describe the two of them as the people responsible for the historic, globally celebrated movie. He added that to say that he is disappointed would be an understatement adding;
“Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotch less dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with other very deserving nominees.”
Ryan Gosling did not forget to cheer for America Ferrera who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work along with other artists who contributed to making the movie.
Barbie is available to stream on VOD on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
