Margot Robbie transformed into the classic Barbie doll for her leading role in the upcoming 2023 movie “Barbie” and has hinted that the perception of the doll is getting a transformation, too.
Robbie teased the doll’s refreshed image during a 2021 interview, saying Barbie “comes with a lot of baggage … and a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that comes a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear ‘Barbie’ and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t,'” Variety reported Tuesday.
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July 21, 2023
Only in theaters pic.twitter.com/mauCGpizD1— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) April 26, 2022
A newly-released photograph of Robbie in character as Barbie depicts a crisp resemblance to the legendary doll, including Robbie’s bleach-blonde hair, polka-dot headband and overstated colorful jewelry. Staying true to the historic image represented by Barbie, Robbie appears in the doll’s signature hot-pink convertible, as seen in the Warner Bros. advertising for the upcoming film. (RELATED: ‘Fell Short’: Mattel Responds To Complaints New Olympic Skater Barbie Doesn’t Look Asian)
However, Robbie has made it clear to fans that there’s more than meets the eye with this modern-day depiction of Barbie by suggesting Greta Gerwig’s influence as a writer and director of the film is going to alter the historic doll’s image, as well as the perception that people have of the doll, according to Variety.
Gerwig, known for her work on “Lady Bird,” has co-written the upcoming “Barbie” film with Noah Baumbach, famous for “Marriage Story,” according to the New York Post.
In a December 2020 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Robbie also discussed subverting expectations about the iconic doll character.
“Something like Barbie where the IP, the name itself, people immediately have an idea of, ‘Oh, Margot is playing Barbie, I know what that is,’ but our goal is to be like, ‘Whatever you’re thinking, we’re going to give you something totally different — the thing you didn’t know you wanted,'” she said, according to the outlet.
Mattel has partnered with Warner Bros. on the “Barbie” project, with a release date of July 21, 2023, according to Variety.