Margot Robbie is Still in Disbelief Over Barbie After Her Insane Pitch to Convince Mattel: “I don’t know what gave Mattel the confidence”
The two movies that swept the world of Hollywood are Barbie and Oppenheimer. Poles apart, the two movies divided moviegoers based on the genre and themes they tackled. One is a story based on a doll that comes alive and tackles issues of patriarchy while the other is a serious, hard-hitting movie about a monumental time in our history.
Margot Robbie Pitched Barbie to Mattel
Surprisingly, it was Margot Robbie, the actor who brought Barbie to life on screen, who first had the idea of making a movie on such an incredible subject. She later onboarded Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach to pen the script and make the movie. Robbie understood that the sensitive themes in the movie demanded a visionary director who could see the project through, hence her confidence in Gerwig never wavered. She said in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter,
“I knew we’d have to find someone brave enough to address certain topics and have hard conversations, but who was going to make it feel fun? That’s why we needed Greta.”
In 2018, Robbie’s production company LuckyChap went for a meeting with Mattel to pitch the movie and gain the rights to feature the company and its products. The actress had her eyes on the IP for a long time and when the opportunity presented itself, she could not stop herself. The project progressed naturally as the filmmakers saw Robbie as the perfect person to embody the titular character.
“I don’t know what gave Mattel the confidence to say yes to us, but I do know we entered that meeting with a lot of respect for the brand and its legacy, and with the intention to make a comedy without making fun. We wanted to point out the difficult truths in a thoughtful way. The movie couldn’t just be propaganda.”
Writing a script centred around Barbie was difficult because the doll accepted its owner’s projections and became who they wanted it to become. It would be hard to conceptualize the emotions and thoughts of an inanimate object. Both Gerwig and Baumbach took this project in their stride and eventually penned a script that swayed the viewers.
Making Barbie and Casting Other Characters
The next challenge presented itself in casting Ken, who was a secondary character in Barbie’s self-awakening journey to humanhood. Ken had to depict all facets of patriarchy while he ventured into the world of humans. With humor and a touch of reality-check, Gerwig wished Ken to be an actor who was not afraid to take risks. Ryan Gosling was ultimately chosen for his exceptional range and comic timing. Moreover, the movie had tons of music and dancing that Gosling was happy to do given his experience in La La Land.
Then, the rest of the cast naturally came into focus with America Ferrera and the other versions of Barbies and Kens. Every actor felt alive on the set since it was a joyful atmosphere, full of openness and buzzing energy. Barbie was not made in stages from scripting to shooting but rather evolved into a full-fledged project once everyone on set got to know each other and Gerwig visualized the tipping point of the story. This might just be their secret to success as the movie is said to sweep the Oscars this year.
