5 fun details Margot Robbie shared in her new Vogue interview
Superstar Margot Robbie, who will soon be seen playing the iconic role of Barbie in the upcoming Greta Gerwig fantasy comedy movie, Barbie, recently sat down for an extensive interview with Vogue, which was published on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.
It was probably the longest interview the actor had given regarding her role in the new Barbie movie. Through the course of the conversation, Robbie revealed some interesting details about the movie and her role, including who her first choice was for the lead role in the movie and how she approached the character, among other details.
From casting to character approach, 5 interesting details Margot Robbie shared about Barbie
1) Robbie was not a Barbie enthusiast as a child
The Wolf of Wall Street actor Margot Robbie revealed in her recent Vogue interview that she was never a Barbie enthusiast in her childhood days. When asked if she ever owned a Barbie doll, she said:
"I don’t think I did,...I know my cousin had a bunch of Barbies, and I’d go to her house....Building cubbies was what we did all day, every day."
2) The actor did not envision herself playing the lead role of Barbie until years into the project
Despite looking like the perfect fit for the role of Barbie, the 32-year-old actor disclosed in the interview that she never really wanted to play the role in the first place. She could never envision herself portraying the role. She further revealed that she stepped into the character when the movie was already under development for years. While talking about it, Margot Robbie said:
"It wasn’t that I ever wanted to play Barbie, or dreamt of being Barbie, or anything like that,...This is going to sound stupid, but I really didn’t even think about playing Barbie until years into developing the project."
3) Robbie and LuckyChap sought rights to the Barbie IP so they could make a movie that would address those who hate the toy as well
Robbie and her production company, LuckyChap, wanted to get their hands on the rights to the Barbie IP from the very beginning. They wanted the rights as they desired to create a project that would also address and acknowledge even those individuals who hated the toy. While explaining the matter, the actor said:
"We of course would want to honor the 60-year legacy that this brand has,...But we have to acknowledge that there are a lot of people who aren’t fans of Barbie. And in fact, aren’t just indifferent to Barbie. They actively hate Barbie. And have a real issue with Barbie. We need to find a way to acknowledge that."
4) Gal Gadot was Robbie and Gerwig's first choice for the lead role of Barbie
Both Margot Robbie and the upcoming movie's director and writer Greta Gerwig wanted to cast an actor in the main role of Barbie in the movie, who would straightaway have "Barbie energy". According to both of them, Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot radiated the same energy as Barbie. While talking about it in the interview, Margot Robbie said:
"Gal Gadot is Barbie energy,...Because Gal Gadot is so impossibly beautiful, but you don’t hate her for being that beautiful, because she’s so genuinely sincere, and she’s so enthusiastically kind, that it’s almost dorky. It’s like right before being a dork."
5) Robbie approached the lead role as if Barbie doesn't feel any physical desire
In the interview, Margot Robbie also disclosed that her approach to the titular Barbie role was a bit different and unique. She looked at the character from a very literal point of view. As the doll was made of plastic and did not have any real organs, Robbie approached it from a point where the character did not have any physical desires. Margot Robbie explained:
"I’m like, Okay, she’s a doll. She’s a plastic doll. She doesn’t have organs. If she doesn’t have organs, she doesn’t have reproductive organs. If she doesn’t have reproductive organs, would she even feel s*xual desire? No, I don’t think she could,...[So yes,] she is se*ualized. But she should never be se*y. People can project se* onto her. Yes, she can wear a short skirt, but because it’s fun and pink. Not because she wanted you to see her b*tt."
Don't forget to watch the movie, Barbie, which arrives in U.S. theaters on July 21, 2023.
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Prem Deshpande