Greta Gerwig’s Barbie just crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office recently. While the star-studded cast of the film must be out there having a success party, there are some names who couldn’t make it.
The male lead – Ryan Gosling almost had more versions of his Ken, apart from Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
While assembling such a diverse cast may have been tough, the film’s casting directors explained to Vanity Fair that they had conducted several Zoom calls and casting rounds with different stars to make the final selection. And a few of them had to turn it down.
Greta Gerwig Approached Allison Jones To Help Her Out
In their conversation with Vanity Fair, Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan spoke about the challenges they had to face while filming.
Jones had previously collaborated on Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut film – Ladybird, and she told the publication that the film took a hit during the initial phases of shooting due to Covid lockdowns.
Jones also elaborated on her casting process –
“I tend to go for the very skilled comedy improv people whose reactions are priceless, and you remember them through the whole movie.”
Despite the vibrant ensemble, she felt bad for the actors who could not join in on the ride.
Who Turned Down Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Powerhouse?
We know from a previous PEOPLE magazine report that Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan had to turn down a cameo in the blockbuster of the year, but there are more names on the list.
According to Jones’ statement to Vanity Fair, Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Bowen Yang (Isn’t It Romantic), and Ben Platt (Run This Town) turned down the opportunity.
“They were, I’m not kidding, really bummed they couldn’t do it,” said Jones.
Even casting Allan wasn’t as easy for Jones as she told –
“Dear, dear Jonathan Groff was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m typing this, but I can’t do Allan.’”
Michael Cera was ultimately rewarded with the chance to become a part of the film alongside Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu.
Entertainment Weekly broke the news via Total Film Podcast in July that Greta Gerwig is gearing up for rebooting The Chronicles of Narnia and that she is ‘properly scared,’ but excited nonetheless.
Barbie is currently going strong in Cinemas and will be available soon for streaming on Warner Bros’ Max app.
Source: Vanity Fair
