“I don’t think I would have”: Margot Robbie Almost Rejected Barbie Before Toy Line Made a Massive Change to the Iconic Doll That Just Might Beat Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

Margot Robbie is all set to win hearts with her highly anticipated film, Barbie which is a straight competition to Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer. Due to the intense competition yet excitement among fandom, it has coined a new trend on the Internet dubbed ‘Barbenheimer’. Though both films are of completely different genres, many are highly intrigued to know which project would outdo the other.

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While there is no definite conclusion to the discussion, the former talked about how her decision to go ahead with the project was highly affected by the toy line.

Margot Robbie Reflected on Adding Diversity Element to Barbie

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In a June issue of Time Magazine, Margot Robbie reflected upon the diversity of characters being explored in the upcoming film, Barbie. While everyone thinks that she is the perfect cast to play the titular role especially since she fits in the original doll’s physical features, the film also brought diverse characters. From the trailer, the project has brought different versions of Barbies and Kens to align their vision with Mattel, the company behind the iconic toy line, Barbie.

Back in 2016, Mattel did a drastic change to its iconic doll since its debut in 1959 by presenting a wider range of their dolls which skyrocketed its sales. Currently, the iconic toy line has 175 different Barbies, with 35 skin tones and 9 body types, and different combinations of hair types. This massive change was implemented even in the film which was one of the core factors why Robbie was intrigued by this project.

She shared,

“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.”

She continued,

“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.’”

It surely was a major game-changer not only for the leading star but for the project which could help in competing with Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer on its opening weekend.

Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig Were Not Initially Associated With Barbie

Also Read: “There was a big discussion”: After Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer Revelation, Barbie Director Revealed Key Margot Robbie Scene Didn’t Use CGI For A Surprising Reason

While Greta Gerwig’s teamwork with Robbie will soon be witnessed by the world, they joined the project quite too late. For the unversed, ‘Barbie‘ has been in the making since 2009. Even Sony initially gained the film rights to the character with Jenny Bicks getting associated to write a screenplay. Diablo Cody then joined in to write the script with Amy Schumer getting cast for the lead role.

However, Schumer dropped out of the project with Anne Hathaway coming in temporarily. Soon after that, Cody left the project who recently opened up about facing immense pressure from the studio regarding the script. After her departure, the project was completely scrapped with Warner Bros getting the rights to the movie. They start afresh with Gerwig directing and co-writing the screenplay with her partner Noah Baumbach. As for the leading role, it eventually went to the perfect cast.

Barbie and Oppenheimer are hitting theatres on July 21, 2023.

Source: Time