Margot Robbie on how she got into ‘Barbie’ character: ‘She’s sexualized, but she should never be sexy’

Margot Robbie used an episode of This American life and unpacked society’s historic sexualization of a doll that “has no reproductive organs” to help her get into character for the upcoming Barbie movie.

Protagonist and producer of the film speak to Voguealong with many other members of the Barbie creative team and cast, on preparing to play the iconic Mattel doll. As he goes behind the scenes of the film’s concept to completion, Robbie opens up about how he navigated into the character of Barbie.

Robbie, who says she “never thought about playing Barbie until years into the project’s development,” points to actress Gal Gadot — who wasn’t available to star in the project — as something of a human personification of the character. “Gal Gadot is the energy of Barbie,” says the actress-producer. “Because she Gal Gadot is so incredibly beautiful, but don’t you hate her for being so beautiful, because she’s so genuinely sincere, and she’s so enthusiastic and kind, that she’s almost stupid. She is like right before being an idiot.

THE Birds of prey AND I, Tony the star would also lean on director and co-writer Greta Gerwig, who helped her figure out how to get inside the character’s mind. “I was like, ‘Greta, I need to go through this whole character journey.’ And Greta was like, ‘Oh, I’ve got a really good podcast for you,’” recalls Robbie.

That podcast was a episode of This American life, which followed a woman who says she “almost never introspects.” “You know how you always have a voice in your head?” Robbie explains to the magazine. “This woman, she doesn’t have that voice in her head.”

While this helped her get inside Barbie’s head, getting inside her body required a different conversation. Robbie said he had to really unpack how the doll has been culturally sexualized.

“I’m like, OK, she’s a doll. It’s a plastic doll. She has no organs. If it has no organs, it has no reproductive organs. If she had no reproductive organs, would she also have sexual desire? No, I don’t think she could,” the Barbie says the star. “She IS sexualized. But she never should To be sexy. People can project sex onto her. Yes, she can wear a short skirt, but because it’s fun and pink. Not because she wanted you to see her butt.”

In the Vogue piece, other tidbits about the film’s approach were revealed, including that Gerwig wrote a super “abstract poem about Barbie” as part of the film’s treatment, with the Oscar-nominated writer-director adding that he “shares some similarities with the Apostles Creed.” Elsewhere, Gerwig argues that the order in which Barbie and Ken were created by Mattel, with Ken “invented after Barbie,” has led to a kind of creation myth that “is the opposite of the creation myth.” creation in Genesis”.

The cast also had a number of exchanges to support each other during filming. Before they started in London, Gosling — unable to attend a sleepover Gerwig threw for the film’s Barbies where Kens had been invited but couldn’t sleep — instead sent a special sing-along telegram. Second Voguecame “in the form of an older Scottish man in a kilt playing the bagpipes and giving the speech from Brave heart.”

Robbie had his gifts for Gosling. “He left a pink gift with a pink bow, from Barbie to Ken, every day while we were shooting,” he says. “They were all tied to the beach. Like puka shells, or a sign that says “Pray for Surf.” Because Ken’s job is just beach. I’ve never quite understood what that means. But I felt like he was trying to help Ken understand, through these gifts that he was giving.