Alert! You Can Watch ‘Barbie’ From Your Couch Very Soon
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If you have a countdown going to July 21 a.k.a the Barbie premiere...you're definitely not alone. The film has pretty much been on the forefront of everyone's mind this summer, and it's sure to be
ICYMI: Barbie was totally the movie of the summer. In fact, the film was truly everything the people wanted and more. During its run at the theaters, Barbie smashed US box office records, and earned over $1 billion. It also beat out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the highest grossing film literally ever.
Plus, you only have one more week until you can stream the pinkest movie ever to your heart's content. Yup. Barbie will be available to purchase on Amazon Prime, Google Play, AppleTV and Vudu for $29.99 starting September 12, 2023.
It's also planned to hit streaming on Max at some point this fall—but you'll have to wait for more deets.
TBH, waiting is kinda typical for Barbie fans. This smash hit film was a very long time coming. Over a decade, to be exact.
Sony first started talks about the film rights way back in September 2009, per Variety, but after several executive changes, the rights were finally acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2018, per Deadline. The upcoming movie was co-written and directed by Greta Gerwig, and has some of Hollywood's biggest stars on its billboards, including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Dua Lipa. Plus, the movie's soundtrack is stacked featuring artists like Ice Spice and Billie Eilish, who dropped mega hits for the film.
I wouldn't blame you if you are dying for more deets on the flick. Maybe you haven't seen it yet (why?!) or you're looking to kill time until you can watch it from the comfort of your couch. Luckily, Women's Health has you covered. Below, see the most prominent cast members, and learn more about their characters.
Margot Robbie as Barbie
While there are obviously *many* Barbies in the Barbie movie, Margot Robbie is the Stereotypical Barbie who journeys from Barbieland to the real world. The 33-year-old actress definitely took on the role of a lifetime.
You may have already guessed Margot's role is a pretty big one, as she’s been popping up in elaborate Barbiecore outfits at nearly every press event. The actress has total main character energy, and has starred in titular roles before, including I, Tonya and Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, to name a few. She's also one of the Barbie film's executive producers, so this project is a big deal for her. Let's go, Barbie—I mean, Margot!
Margot is married to movie producer Tom Ackerley, but they keep their relationship pretty under wraps.
Ryan Gosling as Ken
There are also serveral Ken dolls who star in this film, but Ryan Gosling is Margot Robbie's leading hunk. You may recognize Ryan from other romantic movies he's been in, like The Notebook, La La Land, or Crazy Stupid Love. Ryan definitely knows how to make the people swoon.
Plus, he's extremely dedicated to this role, and told GQ that he felt his character's story needed to be told after seeing his daughter's Ken doll "face down in the mud outside one day." I feel you, Ryan!
Ryan, 42, has two daughters, Esmerelda and Amada, with his partner, Eva Mendes.
America Ferrera as Gloria
America Ferrera is a real one, literally. The 39-year-old actress plays Gloria, a human from the Real World, in Barbie.
You may recognize America from her iconic roles in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Ugly Betty. And she's had fun bonding with the other Barbies on set.
While shooting, the film’s cast had a slumber party to bond, and America showed up dressed as a grandma. “Everybody was in, like, really pretty silky nightgowns, and I was in the most grandma floral twin set you could imagine,” America said on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha
Ariana Greenblatt, 15, is a child actress who is also part of the "human" crew in this flick.
The actress, who was raised in New York, is probably best known for her roles in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle (she starred alongside Wednesday's Jenna Ortega) and as a Young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War. She also played a young Nina in the musical In The Heights.
Ariana recently told Elle that she had a “core memory” with Margot Robbie on set of the Barbie movie when she shared sushi and matcha lattes with her co-star. “That was such a special moment for me that I’ll never forget,” she said. Honestly, I get it.
Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie
Yes, ICYDK, Dua Lipa is also a Barbie girl. The singer has her first acting cameo as a mermaid Barbie in the film. She also has a song on the official Barbie soundtrack: “Dance The Night” (which is also featured in the trailer).
The 27-year-old pop star, who is English and Albanian, was roped into the film by producer Mark Ronson. And yes, he literally slid into her Instagram DMs to ask her to join the project, per NME. Dua definitely gives major merm vibes, so this casting choice is true perfection.
Simu Liu as Ken
Simu Liu plays another Ken doll in the Barbie film. If you don't recognize the 34-year-old Canadian actor in his new plastic-fantastic role, you might remember him from the Marvel film Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings and the sitcom Kim’s Convenience. Simu recently told Page Six that the hardest part of his role in Barbie was getting waxed for his role.
“I was screaming away the whole time,” he told the publication.
Emerald Fennell as Midge
Emerald Fennell plays the lesser-known, but still beloved Barbie, Midge (also known as the "pregnant Barbie").
Midge was first introduced in 1963 as Barbie’s best friend, per TIME. The doll is usually paired up with her plastic husband, Allan Sherwood (who is played by Michael Cera in the film), and in 2002, was reintroduced with an attachable pregnant belly, which appears in the film.
Emerald's role is a small one, according to the New Yorker, as the Midge doll was discontinued after being poorly received by the public thanks to her pregnant belly. As the movie's narrator put it, "a pregnant doll is just too weird."
But while this Academy Award-winning actress might not be a main character in the movie, she definitely is one IRL. You might recognize her time on Killing Eve or from her role as Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown.
Issa Rae as President Barbie
Issa Rae had a very busy summer. Not only did she star as President Barbie in the film, but she also had a role in another big summer movie: Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse.
The Insecure co-creator and writer recently said on The Jennifer Hudson Show that she played with 90210 Barbies growing up, despite never seeing the show.
"[Greta Gerwig] was like 'I want you to imagine how you played with Barbies," Issa said, on how she created her character for the film. "[My mom] got me 90210 Barbies, and I was like 'I don't even know who these characters are,' so I named them myself."
Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie
Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon plays that one Weird Barbie that was played with a ~little~ too hard.
On The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kate described her character as the doll that kids “cut their hair, burned their clothes and [drew] on” them." Her doll is the one that is “always in the splits,” and acts as a sort of spiritual guide for Margot's Barbie on her journey to the real world in the film.
The 39-year-old actress and comedian is best known for her time on SNL, and she has won (and been nominated for) a TON of awards during her career.
Michael Cera as Allan Sherwood
Michael Cera plays Midge's husband, Allan Sherwood, in Barbie.
This doll was introduced by Mattel 1964, and, like Midge, was quickly discontinued, per GQ. Allan was introduced as “Ken’s buddy” and Midge's main man, but honestly—he deserved a bit more screen time than he was given, IMO. Justice for Allan!
The Canadian actor is best known for his roles in Superbad and Juno, but he seems just as excited about this role. In fact, he told The Hollywood Reporter his role in Barbie has been "really crazy." “I’ve never been part of a movie that already had fans before we even made it,” he told THR.
Will Ferrell as Mattel's CEO
I should have seen this one coming a mile away. While Will Ferrell's character poster asks you to call him "Mother," he is actually playing Mattel's CEO.
Will's list of accolades and roles is a long one, but he's perhaps best known for his character Buddy the Elf in Elf, and Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. And even with all those major film roles in his repertoire, he's still excited to bring the heat in Barbie.
Will described his character as "insensitive" and "weird," in an interview with Wall Street Journal, He was pretty stoked to be a part of Barbie, describing it as "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," in his WSJ interview.
Rhea Perlman as Ruth Handler, Barbie's Creator
Barbie creator Ruth Handler—a.k.a., Mattel's co-founder and former president—is a character in the movie! Well, her ghost, anyway. The real Ruth sadly passed away in 2002 during colon cancer surgery.
But int he movie, Ruth briefly meets stereotypical Barbie, Margot’s character, as she tries to flee the Mattel offices. (It’s a long story.) Towards the end of the film, she helps guide Barbie through her existential crisis as she thinks through what she wants to do with her life next.
“It was fantastic,” Rhea told The Daily Beast in 2022 of filming. “It’s not just some ditzy movie about a doll. It is really going to be a great film. Greta Gerwig is great at directing it, and Margot Robbie is the main Barbie. It’s very different and quite beautiful and really fun. I couldn’t have had a better time.”
Ann Roth as Old Woman On Bench
While some people thought that the real Barbara Handler, Ruth's daughter and Barbie's namesake, made a quick cameo in the movie—it’s not the case! If you didn’t know, the 82-year-old daughter of Ruth inspired her mother to create the Barbie after she was mesmerized by "adult" dolls sold in Switzerland. (And yes, Ruth's son’s name is Ken—yes, that one.)
Why do people think this? Well, in the midst of Stereotypical Barbie’s first mental breakdown of the movie, she sees an old woman sitting, waiting at a bus stop and Barbie tells her that she’s beautiful—the woman replies that yes, she knows that already. Ann Roth, an Oscar-winning costume designer plays the older woman, but it's not totally clear why people think it's Barbara Handler.
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