Greta Gerwig Asked Timotheé Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan to Make Cameos in the "Barbie" Movie

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Eeeeek! It’s happening: the Barbie movie is officially on the way. No, we’re not talking about Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses or Barbie and the Diamond Castle — we’re getting a real, live-action version featuring Margot Robbie in all of her pink-on-pink glory.

Mattel and Warner Bros. are partnering to bring this ~iconic~ character to life for the first time with Margot Robbie both starring in and producing the film. That's a GirlBoss™ if we've ever seen one, which is fitting because Barbie herself has clocked hours at over 200 jobs, according to Mattel. Margot spoke to Marc Malkin at Variety, saying that “I think it’s a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids.”

Warner Bros. released the first teaser image back in May, and spoiler alert, it’s completely adorable. We’re screaming, crying, and throwing up over Barbie's bright pink convertible in this brand new sneak peek photo — and predicting a huge resurgence of pink fashion in the near future (tiny plastic shoes not included). In the meantime, here is everything we know so far about the upcoming Barbie movie.

Is there a trailer for the Barbie movie?

Finally! The full, official trailer for the *highly* anticipated Barbie movie has dropped, and it looks so good. Barbie and Ken venture out of Barbie Land and into the real world, where they learn that things aren’t as pink and perfect as they are back home. The nearly three-minute clip is filled with iconic moments, but ofc, the very first scene made us do a double take — how does Barbie maintain those high heel-shaped feet in and out of her signature pink pumps?

Well, it wasn’t complex movie magic, leading lady Margot Robbie claims — just a few takes and little bit of sticky tape. In an interview with Fandango, the actress explained how the shot came to life. “It was probably about eight takes. Wasn’t that many. They are my feet,” she said. “I walked up, we had little sticky bits on the floor, double-sided tape for the shoes so they wouldn’t come off, so I could get my feet out of them. And I was holding onto, like, a bar. But that’s it. I wasn’t in a harness or anything like that. I just walked up, kind of held onto the bar above camera and stepped out.”

In April 2023, a teaser brought us into Barbie Land, where all the Barbies and Kens hang out and accomplish impressive feats, like being president and winning Nobel Peace Prizes. In the trailer below, Ryan Gosling’s Ken stops at nothing to impress Margot Robbie’s Barbie — even if it means fighting Simu Liu’s Ken on the beach.

The first teaser, which hit theaters in December 2022 and was subsequently released on YouTube, began with Margot dressed as the first-ever Barbie doll as Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” played in the background (an homage to the sci-fi film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.)

Who is playing Barbie in the new movie?

After years of rumors swirling around the iconic doll's film, Margot Robbie was officially cast as Barbie in 2019. The movie announcement came out in 2014, with Amy Schumer initially landing the lead role. Amy dropped out due to creative differences and scheduling issues. It was then reported that Anne Hathaway would fill the spot before The Hollywood Reporter noted in 2017 that Margot was in talks to take the leading role.

What drew the Australian actress to this particular project? Margot told Harper's Bazaar, “I didn't want to pick up another script where I was the wife or the girlfriend — just a catalyst for the male storyline. It was uninspiring.”

The official Warner Bros. Twitter account recently tweeted out a first-look image of Margot as Barbie. The actress grins at the camera, wearing a striped blue halter top and a polka-dotted blue headband with a chunky blue beaded bracelet on her wrist. Margot sits in a bright pink convertible with her hands on the wheels, against a matching pink background.

But as fab as Miss Margot is in her Barbie get-up, multiple actresses are playing Barbies in the upcoming film. Emma Mackey is confirmed to be playing Barbie as well as Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, and Issa Rae. Confused? You'll just have to wait and see what kind of movie magic director Greta Gerwig whips up for the film!

Emma Mackey spoke to Empire and exclusively confirmed that all of the Barbies got together at the beginning of shooting and had a sleepover together — which is so cute that we can hardly handle it. Emma revealed that their activities involved "playing games with Scott [Evans] and Ncuti [Gatwa]." The Sex Education actress seemed happy about her Barbie role, saying, "It’s great to do comedy because Emily was a sad, dark drama. Barbie is light and funny and silly and American and pink.”

We like to think that the sleepover was pink, too — were there pillow fights and matching pink PJs? How do we score a pair?!

Who's playing Ken in the Barbie Movie?

The one and only Ryan Gosling will be playing Barbie's boyfriend, Ken — we're doodling virtual hearts already. And besties, we finally have a photo of the actor as Barbie's BF. Between his platinum blonde hair, shirtless, full-denim 'fit (good morning to Ryan Gosling's six-pack, and Ryan Gosling's six-pack only), and the all-pink background that appears to resemble Barbie's Dream House — we are in love.

According to an exclusive from Deadline, the dreamy Crazy, Stupid, Love actor initially passed on the role but eventually committed after his schedule freed up. Twitter reacted to this announcement in a frenzy — one user compared Ryan to a Ken doll, saying "The resemblance is uncanny."

Others, however, have voiced that they expected a younger actor to play the role. Gosling, who is 42 years old, responded to the criticism via GQ, "I would say, you know, if people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with.”

"It is funny," he continued, "[...] Suddenly, it's like, "No, we've cared about Ken this whole time." No, you didn't. You never did. You never cared. Barbie never f**ked with Ken. That's the point. If you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken."

"This is why his story must be told," Ryan joked. “I care about this dude now. I’m like his representative. ‘Ken couldn’t show up to receive this award, so I’m here to accept it for him.'"

Speaking of representatives, Simu Liu has also signed on to play an iteration of Ken in Greta Gerwig's upcoming film. In fact, the Shang-Chi star told The Independent that he waxed his entire body to prep for his role as the plastic doll. "Waxing has been an education to say the least," he said, referring to it as "one of the most painful experiences of my life." At least the pain came with some healthy realizations — the actor remarked, "I have such a newfound admiration for the incredibly brave women who go through this on a monthly basis."

That's an all-star cast! Any idea how much they're making? 👀

Yes! Let’s talk salary. According to a report released by Variety, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie are both making $12.5 million each for starring in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

The Variety report also listed 24 other top-paid Hollywood stars and their paychecks from upcoming movies — Steve Carrell is making the exact same amount ($12.5M) in Minions: The Rise of Gru, Millie Bobby Brown secured $10M for Enola Holmes 2, Timothée Chalamet is making $9M for Wonka, and Tom Cruise got paid a whopping $100M for the TikTok sensation Top Gun: Maverick.

Will there be any promo interviews?

Barbie hits theaters this July, but the promo interviews, you know, the ones where viewers get a chance to learn more about the film from its cast, are at a standstill. According to Variety, if the SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) doesn't reach a contract deadline on June 30, union members (aka your fave movie stars) could be forced to strike. Variety claims a strike means that union members "will not be available nor willing to promote their latest films." According to the outlet, some interviews have been "completed pre-strike deadline for a later rollout."

Are there any official pics from the Barbie movie?

There sure are! On April 4, 2023, the official social media accounts for the upcoming film shared all-new pics of the cast, including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Emma Mackey, Ariana Greenblatt, Dua Lipa, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Nicola Coughlin, and more. The characters include Pulitzer-winning Barbies, mermaids, humans, and more. See all the pics below!

Who is on the Barbie movie's soundtrack?

Doll check-in! One of the film’s stars, Dua Lipa, dropped a new song for the movie on Friday, May 26, 2023. The disco-inspired track is called “Dance the Night,” and prior to its release, Dua teased a few seconds with an adorable video of her blowing a kiss as her “Barbie feet” step out of feathered kitten heels.

That same day, Rolling Stone unveiled a star-studded line-up of artists featured on Barbie The Album, including Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Lizzo, and Charli XCX.

The graphic teased “more Barbies and Kens to be announced,” and on July 6, Billie Eilish revealed that she’s dropping a new single for the soundtrack titled, “What Was I Made For?” The single debuts on July 13 at 7am PT, and according to Billie herself, it’s sob-worthy. BRB, getting the tissues ready.

“WE MADE THIS SONG FOR BARBIE AND IT MEANS THE ABSOLUTE WORRRRLLLD TO ME,” the artist wrote on Instagram. “THIS MOVIE IS GONNA CHANGE UR LIVES AND HOPEFULLY THE SONG WILL TOO. GET READY TO SOB💐👀🌸🥹🫧💞”

What has been teased about the film?

It looks as though Barbie will explore the iconic doll's journey with being "less than perfect," per a report by Vulture. In April 2023, the film's CinemaCon sizzle reel featured Barbie as she experienced an existential crisis. "Today is the best day ever! And before that, yesterday was!" the doll says, per Vulture. "And tomorrow will be the best day ever too!" A beat, and then: "Do you guys ever think about dying?"

Teen Vogue reports that Barbie's life takes a turn once her pointed "invisible high heel" feet unexpectedly become flat. She then experiences day-to-day inconveniences that we face IRL, like cold showers, burnt waffles, bad haircuts, and weird smells, in the utopia that is Barbie Land. Per Variety, these oddities lead her to escape with Ryan Gosling's Ken, "to find true happiness after being expelled from Barbie Land for being less than perfect." Barbie even ends up getting arrested after she punches a random guy who grabs her in the real world.

On the red carpet for the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, the film's leading lady, Margot Robbie, gave E! News a little taste of what's to come. When asked if Barbie will be just as "wild" as, Babylon, the most recent film that Margot stars in, she had this to say: "Not Babylon vibes, different vibes. But it's still gonna blow your mind, just in a different way."

Margot also spoke to Variety on the same red carpet and shared that she was "cracking up all the time" on set because of Ryan Gosling's hilarious performance. "This was a set filled with laughter and dancing and music and good vibes," she teased. But when the interviewer asked what kind of music they were dancing to, she kept her lips sealed. "I can't tell you, it's all a secret! It's too soon — I can't tell you anything!"

Despite most of the cast keeping things on the DL, Ryan Gosling, aka Ken himself, spilled a little snippet of what we can expect from his character. While promoting his new Netflix film, The Gray Man, Ryan sat down with Entertainment Tonight to discuss a few details about Barbie. When interviewer Lauren Zima referenced a line in The Gray Man where Chris Evans's character calls him "a Ken doll," Ryan expressed that it's "not an insult at all."

"I'm proud of that," he responded. "I have that 'Ken-ergy' that he can feel, obviously. I still feel like the 'Ken-ergy' is alive." He also revealed that his character is going through a bit of a rough patch when we meet him in the film.

"Ken's got no money, he's got no job, he's got no car, he's got no house," he said. "You know, he's going through some stuff."

Ryan then went on to *very* coyly tease that the Barbie film is "not what you think it is."

"I can't wait for people to see the film," he added. "It's not what you'd expect... That's all I can say, otherwise, Mattel would come in and box me up."

Has the Barbie movie started filming yet?

Yes, and there are pics to prove it! The Daily Mail broke exclusive photos of Margot Robbie stepping out of her trailer in Los Angeles, decked out from head-to-toe in costume. Margot was also pictured on the Barbie set wearing a pair of pink flare jeans with groovy '70s stars and a lace-up closure, paired with a matching pink waistcoat that's completely on par with the Y2K tuxedo top trend. Her blonde hair was styled in loose waves.

On June 23, 2022 E! News gave us a glimpse at Ken and Barbie together, wearing outfits that can only be described as yassified rodeo garb. Ever the picture-perfect couple in Western attire, we are sooo curious to see what the film has in store for us other than fantastic costumes.

And then after four months of filming, the Barbie cast took to social media to confirm that they had officially wrapped production as of July 17, 2022!

Hari Nef and Sharon Rooney celebrated on Instagram with the cutest photo of several cast members and Greta Gerwig captured mid-cheer with their arms around each other. Hari captioned her post, “it's a wrap for the Doll! see you in Barbie Land” while Sharon simply wrote, “Barbie, a true gift 💝”.

Based off of the pure joy on their faces (and, you know, the totally adorable all-Barbie sleepover that the actresses had together), this movie is going to have some fabulous on-screen chemistry. The cast seems to have so much love for each other — now we're just waiting on an official trailer to be released!

Are there any other behind-the-scenes photos?

You better believe it. Ryan Gosling and Margo Robbie were spotted in Venice Beach on June 27, 2022 completely decked out in '80s roller-rink-ready costumes. We're talking neon biker shorts, neon fanny packs, neon knee pads, and of course, multi-colored visors (to shield your eyes from the bright colors, duh) — Barbie and Ken never claimed that they weren't totally extra! TikTok user @andreatvasquez posted a behind-the-scenes video of the pair (and Ryan's stunt double) skating through Venice Beach and TBH, the vibes are immaculate.

But it turns out that Ryan and Margo weren't having as great of a time as it seemed. “I can’t tell you how mortified we were,” Margo confessed to Jimmy Fallon. “We look like we’re, like, laughing, having fun, but dying on the inside.” The actress appeared on The Tonight Show and explained that there were hundreds of people watching the pair film their roller-skating scene in California. "I was like, this is the most humiliating moment of my life," she laughed.

Who is directing the Barbie movie?

Little Women and Lady Bird director Greta Gerwig is at the helm of this project, having co-written the script with partner Noah Baumbach. Margot Robbie told British Vogue, “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…’”

Gerwig appeared on Dua Lipa's podcast, At Your Service, and admitted that she was unsure about the project when she signed on after having directed Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. "It was something that was exciting because it was terrifying. I think that was a big part of it, like: "Oh, no, Barbie.'" The director continued, "It felt like vertigo, starting to write it, like, where do you even begin, and what would be the story? And I think it was that feeling I had was knowing that it would be really interesting terror."

Gerwig explained that some of the "best stuff" tends to be where she is "terrified," telling Dua Lipa, "Anything where you're like, "This could be a career ender" — then you're like, "I should probably do it.'"

Gerwig is one of seven women to ever been nominated for the Best Director category at the Oscars, so we know that the Barbie film is in good hands. Twitter showed plenty of love for the director, with one fan tweeting, “greta gerwig having little women and ladybird under her directing belt and now barbie… she will always be famous.”

Who else has been cast in the Barbie movie so far?

The Barbie cast is already filled with an exciting roster that we can't wait to see collaborating on our screens. Aside from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, actors Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Hari Nef, America Ferrera, Alexandra Shipp, Issa Rae, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, and Emma Mackey are all slated to join the cast of the Barbie movie.

Fans have long pointed out the uncanny similarities between Emma Mackey and Margot Robbie, with many taking to Twitter after it was announced that the two would be starring in the Barbie movie together.

It also looks like Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan may be joining the all-star lineup for Greta Gerwig's Barbie. After she was photographed with Ncuti Gatwa at the BAFTAs in London on May 8, 2022, fans started speculating that the pair may be working together on the British series, Doctor Who, since Ncuti was just announced as the new Doctor. However, Ncuti (who already announced his role in the Barbie film) captioned a shot of him and Nicola, "A pair of dolls."

Leading up to the film's release in July 2023, director Greta Gerwig revealed she asked two of her friends and frequent collaborators, Saoirse Ronan and Timotheé Chalamet, to make cameos in Barbie Land. The actors have previously worked with the director on projects like Lady Bird and Little Women.

"Well, it was always going to have to be a sort of smaller thing because [Saoirse] was actually producing at the time, which I am so proud of her for. And of course, it's brilliant. But it was going to be a specialty cameo," Greta told CinemaBlend. "I was also going to do a specialty cameo with Timmy, and both of them couldn't do it and I was so annoyed. But I love them so much."

She continued, "But it felt like doing something without my children. I mean, I'm not their mom, but I sort of feel like their mom."

What is the Barbie movie about?

The live-action movie will center around the Mattel fashion doll, but with a twist — the movie's unofficial IMDb reads, "A doll living in 'Barbie Land' is expelled for not being perfect enough and sets off on an adventure in the real world."

The Barbie doll has received criticism in the past for her biologically-impossible figure setting unachievable body standards, so it'll be interesting to see the direction that Greta Gerwig takes. Margot Robbie told British Vogue that she's aware that the Barbie character "comes with a lot of baggage. And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that comes a lot of exciting ways to attack it."

When will the Barbie movie be released in theaters?

The film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 21, 2023, a date that's anticipated by kids and adults alike.

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