Barbie star Will Ferrell feels nothing but excitement for the Margot Robbie-led live-action movie.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the acclaimed actor and comedian spoke about some of his upcoming projects, including director Greta Gerwig's adaptation of the iconic toy doll. "It's a loving homage to the brand and, at the same time, couldn't be more satirical," Ferrell said. "Just an amazing comment on male patriarchy and women in society and why Barbie's criticized and yet why every little girl still wants to play with Barbie. Boy, when I read it, I was like, 'This is fantastic.'"
Ferrell isn't the only Hollywood heavyweight to feature in Barbie as the movie has attracted an impressive ensemble cast. Beyond Robbie as the titular character, the film also sports Ryan Gosling as a version of Ken alongside Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa. Emma Mackey, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera and Michael Cera will also star but so far very little information shared about their respective roles.
Despite the excitement building for Barbie, the movie's production has been plagued by myriad leaks. Most notably, several of the movie's wardrobe choices were revealed when photographers snapped pictures of Robbie and Gosling performing various scenes together. "I can’t tell you how mortified we were, by the way," Robbie said. "We look like we’re like laughing and having fun, but we’re dying on the inside. Dying. I was like, this is the most humiliating moment of my life."
Robbie hasn't shied away from sharing her candid thoughts about her Barbie film. The actor has previously addressed concerns that the movie would be a victim of the toy brand's notoriety as many groups have labeled the Barbie figures as conveying damaging body image messages to children. "It comes with a lot of baggage!" Robbie explained. "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...'"
In a similar vein, The Suicide Squad insists Gerwig's Barbie adaptation will surprise audiences and subvert expectations. "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,'" Robbie said. At the time of writing, details about the movie's story are still largely unknown.
Barbie is slated to hit theaters on July 21, 2023.
Source: The Wall Street Journal