Barbie v Oppenheimer: How do the casts match up?
It's the week movie fans have been waiting for, as this Friday (July 21) sees the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer in UK cinemas.
'Barbenheimer' is the friendly blockbuster battle everyone seems to be talking about, from cinema-goers to critics and even the Barbie and Oppenheimer casts themselves.
Both films promise engaging storylines, epic production values and of course, all-star casts who've certainly impressed with their performances in both Barbie and Oppenheimer's first reactions.
Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera head up the perfectly preened Barbie cast, with Peaky Blinders' Cillian Murphy supported by Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr, in Oppenheimer.
All arguably industry titans by their own merit, we've taken a deeper look at the two competing casts, breaking down their appeal to audiences based on factors such as diversity and the number of awards in their cabinet.
Related: Barbenheimer and 9 more iconic movie pairs released on the same day
Diversity
The Barbie cast and their plethora of different Barbie and Ken characters include actors of different races, body types, gender identities and sexual preferences.
From Issa Rae's President Barbie, to Shang-Chi star Simu Liu as Gosling's arch-nemesis Ken. Trans actress Hari Nef also has scene-stealing moments, with one including some distaste with Barbie's flat feet in the Barbie trailer.
My Mad Fat Diary star Sharon Rooney is another ensemble Barbie, whilst Ugly Betty's America Ferrera has a prominent role as Gloria (shock: a non-Barbie) in the film. Actors Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir also get plenty of screen-time as two additional Kens.
Related: Barbie's first reactions have finally arrived ahead of cinema release
Representation was important to leading lady and film producer Margot Robbie. In an interview with Time Magazine, the actress recalled how she and director Greta Gerwig pushed the notion of multiple Barbies for the film with Mattel's chief executive Ynon Kreiz.
"If (Mattel) hadn't made that change to have a multiplicity of Barbies, I don't think I would have wanted to attempt to make a Barbie film," Robbie said. "I don't think you should say: 'This is the one version of what Barbie is, and that's what women should aspire to be and look like and act like'."
Robbie and Gosling, the two leads, both being white actors who arguably mirror western beauty standards, means the film isn't a total diversity win. But it's certainly a step in the right direction.
Related: Cillian Murphy didn't hesitate to take Oppenheimer role for Christopher Nolan
In contrast, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has been called out online for it's lack of representation. "0 people of color, 4/28 women, no one of age," exclaimed one Twitter user.
No Time to Die's Rami Malek has a critical role in the movie, playing physicist David Hill, a scientist involved in the Strauss hearing that takes place later in the movie. But his casting is really the only diversity fixture.
The film is based on the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb, told through the eyes of its creator, J Robert Oppenheimer. With the historical event itself led by white, Jewish scientists, Nolan's cast is reflective of the real-life individuals involved.
— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) March 11, 2022
Related: Matt Damon was going to take an acting break before Oppenheimer
Awards
Both casts hold their own in the awards stakes, with this crop of acting talent having a number of Golden Globes to their names. But if we're looking specifically at the supporting cast, Oppenheimer just steals it.
Emily Blunt: Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, plus three BAFTA nominations.
Florence Pugh: Received an Academy Award and BAFTA nomination for her role in Little Women in 2020. Her breakout role as Lady Macbeth in 2016 also earned her a British Independent Film Award.
Related: Robert Downey Jr hails Oppenheimer as his "best film"
Matt Damon: Two Oscar nominations in 1998 for Good Will Hunting, walking away with the gong for Best Original Screenplay. He's been nominated a further three times for an Oscar and a BAFTA award, in particular for his role in The Martian (which also landed him a Best Actor Golden Globe).
Robert Downey Jr: A BAFTA and two-time Golden Globe winner.
Cillian Murphy: He's received nominations for a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a BIFA, a Critics' Choice Super Award and a British Academy Television Award. For his famous role as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Murphy bagged an NTA and Irish Film & Television Award.
Margot Robbie: The actress received two Oscar nominations in two consecutive years for I, Tonya (2018) and Bombshell (2019). Robbie also boasts five BAFTA, four Golden Globe and five Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.
Related: Gavin & Stacey's Rob Brydon confirms Barbie movie cameo
Ryan Gosling: Won the Golden Globe for La La Land in 2017. He's also been nominated for a further four Golden Globes, two Academy Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards and a BAFTA.
America Ferrera: Her breakout role as Ugly Betty earned her a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award.
Will Ferrell: Aka Mattel's CEO in the Barbie movie. Emmy Awards alone, he's been nominated 16 times and secured three, winning one recently as executive producer of HBO's Succession.
Online following
Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy and Barbie's Margot Robbie have no personal online presence. Robbie did have an Instagram account at one stage, however, in June 2021, she announced she was taking a break from social media and hasn't since returned to the platform.
Their respective on-screen partners, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are also absent from social media, so the online following of both casts falls on the supporting actors.
Related: Christopher Nolan cast his daughter in key Oppenheimer scene
Robert Downey Jr brings the biggest online influence, with his personal Instagram account having an incredible 56.1 million followers.
Meanwhile, Florence Pugh is known for her cooking videos and humorous posts on Instagram, which she shares with her 9.2 million followers.
Whilst Oppenheimer's Pugh and Downey Jr bring in the big numbers, it's safe to say it's a fairly concentrated pool. Barbie's online following is certainly a worthy rival, with the large number of supporting Ken and Barbie cast drawing in fans from a more far-reaching audience.
Related: Barbie's Greta Gerwig didn't want to ignore doll's controversial legacy
There's Issa Rae with her 4 million Instagram fans, meanwhile America Ferrera has an army of 1.3 million online.
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa and Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan both have 2.5 million followers each on Instagram, not forgetting Gatwa's Sex Education co-star Connor Swindells with his 1 million Instagram fans.
Overall verdict? There's no winner takes all in our Barbie v Oppenheimer cast rundown.
Both movie casts boast star power, popularity and expertise in their midst, which hopefully translates into two quality films that prove worthy of the wait.
Barbie and Oppenheimer are released in cinemas on July 21.
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