When you think of the name Barbie, you probably think of those “perfect” toys that kids would dress up every day back in the ’90s and early ’00s. I am speaking purely from experience with that statement because the blonde bombshell of a toy has been around since 1959. But the doll I’m thinking of is the distinctly ’80s and ’90s version of her that is featured in movies like Toy Story 3 and is what we’ve come to know as Barbie.
And who better fits that Barbie look than actress Margot Robbie? News broke that Robbie would be playing the Mattel Malibu doll with a script by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. The question on everyone‘s mind since has been: How? And why? To be honest, Barbie as a character as changed quite often throughout the years. She went from what toy makers deemed a “typical” girl toy to an inspiring woman for girls to look up to. With different careers and aspirations, Barbie is a figure that teaches kids to never settle for one definition of yourself.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids,” Robbie told Variety’s Marc Malkin at the premiere for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood back in 2019.
An oddly perfect cast
The problem is that this movie is so wrapped in plastic that there were plenty of announcements that they put out that fans seemingly missed. From three different cast members of Sex Education joining the project—along with Scott Evans, Alexandra Shipp, and the previously announced Issa Rae, Robbie, and Ryan Gosling as Ken—this is oddly the movie that just keeps on giving.
To keep everyone up to date on the cast list, Variety did an extensive thread that includes all the casting announcements for the film and also provide us with a fun game: Who is Skipper? Who is Scout? Who is Simu Liu playing because I need to know? And more.
The thing is: Barbie has had a lot of friends throughout the years. She also has had a lot of jobs and personality changes. So, this movie really could be whatever Gerwig and Baumbach want it to be, and with Robbie on board to make this something that kids can look up to, it seems to be right along with Barbie’s vision from when I was a kid.
Yes, Barbie has always been that Malibu girl with blonde hair and a perfect wardrobe, but she also has evolved to be a symbol for young kids to follow their dreams and, if done right, the movie can share that message in a new way to audiences who might only see Barbie in a negative light.
Is my knowledge going to be like riding a bike and suddenly I will remember all the intricacies of Barbie’s world as I watch the movie unfold and make, I’m sure, tons of references? Hopefully, but then again, a Greta Gerwig movie is typically one I love no matter what, so a Barbie movie with a cast like this is sure to get me into the theater.
(image: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
