What Margot Robbie Learned About Herself in the Making of the Barbie Movie – The Hollywood Reporter
When Warner Brothers released the first movie trailer Barbie Movie in December 2022, heads turn quite literally, doll heads, that is. The decision to release the film 2001: A space journey– A specially themed opening scene, showing a larger-than-life Margot Robbie, in Barbie’s original swimsuit, descending on a group of young girls who have until now only known the concept of child Muppets, it was a gamble by the filmmakers. But Robbie, who also serves as an executive producer through her company Lucky Chap, says they all felt it was important for this scene to be the first to be released.
“I really don’t like being encouraged to give away the entire movie in a trailer. I think the marketing campaign should be part of the entertainment process,” she said during a recent press conference. THR presents Billboard, powered by Vision Media. “There has to be an element of mystery. What we needed to send to the world was: ‘This is not what you expect. It’s cinematic. We’re literally reworking Kubrick.'” Robbie explained that the opening scene, especially when released as a trailer, serves as a harbinger of narrative shifts. Next – in Kubrick’s film. 2001, the block appears and then humanity develops around it, and this reflects the way in which Barbie’s introduction to the world reintroduces culture. “We know all the reasons (we did it), but I’m sure everyone was wondering, ‘What’s going on?’ She laughs.
The opening sequence was, in fact, a bit of a family affair – with Robbie’s niece playing one of the little girls who destroy their baby dolls after seeing Barbie – and that theme continued elsewhere in the production. During one pivotal third-act scene, when Barbie and Ruth Handler (played by Rhea Perlman) hold hands and viewers watch a montage of home videos, it shows real footage from the cast and crew. “It’s our own stuff that we put into this film and then share with the world,” she says. “There’s a clip of me holding my friends baby, you can’t see my face but my friend is winking at the camera. I filmed that on Super Eight on her wedding day while she was doing her makeup.
while Barbie It was groundbreaking for Robbie’s career as a producer in many ways, and she says she felt the most growth in her approach in her acting career, thanks to its huge budget and elaborate settings. “To be honest, I felt quite exposed playing this character in a way that I definitely wasn’t expecting,” she says. “In the past I used to hide behind my characters, they’re big, crazy characters and I wear makeup and costumes and I talk with an accent. There’s none of me in it. At the end of the day Barbieafter I’ve gone on this journey — and my wig is smaller, and the clothes are less structured — you feel like you’re just watching me, which is the opposite of what my instincts are telling me what I should do.
Like Barbie herself, Ruby looks forward to drawing on this feeling more in her future projects. “Injecting your own personal, intimate stuff into the character leaves it a little raw, but also kind of beautiful,” she says. “Embracing the painful parts of life makes you more alive, and I’m in that void right now.”
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