Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie"is officially the movie of summer 2023.
In its opening weekend alone, it brought in $155 million at the box office.
As Barbie, Robbie is unlike anything we have seen from her before.
“I’m so Barbie now I can’t even.”
The actor’s transformation into the Mattel doll we all know and love was certainly remarkable.
Here’s how Robbie and the “Barbie” team made it happen.
However, there was a time when Robbie only planned to be a producer on the project.
In fact, Robbie initially had another woman in mind to play the titular character.
“Gal Gadotis Barbie energy,” Robbie toldVogue.
It’s like right before being a dork.”
However, Gadot was ultimately unable to star in the film.
“She wrote me an amazing part and I’m very grateful,” Robbie told Teen Vogue.
Then, she started researching, heading to the Mattel headquarters to find out about the history of Barbie.
She even watched a few of Barbie’s vlogs on herYouTubechannel.
“I went all out for this character of Barbie,” she said.
To complete her transformation, Robbie chose a Barbiesque perfume.
“That’s always the final thing for my character.
In the film, she speaks in a bright, high-pitched voice with an American accent.
“General American accent.
The actorworked with a dialect coachto perfect the Barbie accent and fans loved it.
“Omg Margot Robbie’s Barbie voice actually sounds so good,” one fantweeted.
Robbie also made sure to slightly change Barbie’s voice throughout the film.
In the beginning, Robbie explained that “everything is very definite.”
She continued, telling Vogue, “There’s no second thought.
There’s no hesitation.”
Fans were mesmerised by the shot.
Even Chrissy Teigentweeted, “I need to know everything about this shot.
Greta Gerwig confirmed that no computer-generated imagery was involved.
“There was a big discussion in the beginning,” Gerwig explained on “The Project.”
“Everyone said, ‘Are you going to CGI all the feet?’
And I thought, ‘Oh, god!
That’s terrifying, no!
That’s a nightmare.'”
As Robbie admitted toFandango, though, filming the scene wasn’t exactly easy.
Altogether, the shot only took around eight takes.
As Robbie toldVogue, the party was at Claridge’s Hotel.
After all, as Barbie herself says in the film, “Every night is girls’ night.”
She continued, saying, ‘It was Greta’s idea; I can’t take credit.”
“Ryan couldn’t make it and so instead, he sent a singing telegram for us.”
“It was hilarious,” she said.
Was this a film or just a long party?
Because we are super jealous!
“You know how you have a voice in your head all the time?
This woman, she doesn’t have that voice in her head,” Robbie toldVogue.
Gerwig went into more detail in an interview withRolling Stone.
“Finding that sort of transparency as an actor was the baseline of where Barbie started.
But heels weren’t the only thing that helped Robbie find Barbie’s physicality.
It’s like they’re ready for anything.”
That kind of poise, Robbie revealed, means that Barbie’s doing everything with intentionality.
There’s no hesitation or awkwardness to the movement.
To play Stereotypical Barbie, Robbie learned to embody that quintessential dancer’s poise.
This was, of course, intentional.
They’re not living dolls and nobody is.
You’ve got to do the work!”
Margot Robbie’s makeup called for looking a little less human
Next up came the cosmetics.
“Makeup we just tried to make as beautiful as possible.
“Like this flat look.”
Everything is just perfect.
It wasn’t in the amount of makeup, it was in choosing the best makeup for everyone.”
“Barbie” isallabout the hair.
“The key look for Barbie was this impossible amount of hair,” Margot Robbie toldTeen Vogue.
Robbie’s hair was, of course, the perfect shade of blonde and hit her mid-back.
Her hair was often styled with big bows, sweeping bangs, and plenty of bouncy curls.
“I wanted it to be like the best hair day every day,” she said.
“No one was allowed not to have the best hair.”
You’ll notice that her hair gets flatter and flatter.
“It becomes less of Barbie volume, it becomes a human in volume,” Primorac revealed.
Robbie’s Barbie costumes were all about intentionality
What would Barbie be without all her epic clothing?
As kids, we all loved choosingBarbie’s outfits and naturally, she always looked amazing.
Well, that’s exactly what the production team wanted for Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie, too.
“The key thing about Barbie is that she dresses with intention,” Jacqueline Durran toldVogue.
“Barbie doesn’t dress for the day.
She dresses for the task.”
As Durran explained toE!
News, she found most of her inspiration in old Barbie catalogs.
“I tried to do a comprehensive sweep of different Barbie looks,” she said.
In the end, Robbie reportedly wore at least 30 outfits throughout the course of the film.
Learning not to laugh at her hilarious co-stars!
“Every day was the best day ever every day was hilarious,” she recalled toTeen Vogue.
“There was so many funny actors in this film.”
Robbie found it almost impossible not to laugh at Ryan Gosling, whom she labeled “comedically gifted.”
Robbie confessed that she had a hard time keeping a straight face during Gosling’s Ken scenes.
In fact, she explained, she ruined quite a few of his takes.
Sending Gosling a Ken-themed gift every single day.
As Robbie explained toHeart, it was initially her way of convincing Gosling to come on board as Ken.
And that’s exactly what she did.
“They were all beach-related.
Like puka shells, or a sign that says ‘Pray for surf.’
Because Ken’s job isjust beach.
It seems that, by this point, Robbie really was completely enmeshed in her character.
In the film, Barbie was forced to grapple with some pretty big questions.
“As funny and silly as this movie is, it’s also very clever.
I took a lot from it.
I mean, we joke about an existential crisis, but it all did become very existential.”
Ironically, transforming into a Barbie doll pushed Margot Robbie to feel more human than ever before.
