Amy Schumer Revealed She Was First Cast As Barbie And The Unexpected Reason Why She Left

Barbie is an upcoming comedy movie directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote it with Noah Baumbach. The film is the first live-action Barbie film after some computer-animated direct-to-video and streaming TV films, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, respectively, alongside a huge ensemble supporting cast.
Still, many fans have figured out that the renowned actress and comedian, Amy Schumer, could have played Barbie instead of Margot Bobbie. Due to schedule conflicts, Schumer turned down the offer in 2017, but she only shed light on the actual reason she refused the role recently.

#1 Although Barbie is coming to the big screen in July, the idea of the movie is more than a decade old.

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The upcoming Barbie movie has gone through some transformations since 2009 and has changed hands among several intellectual property holders 3 times or even more. Eventually, Mattel decided to make a deal with Universal Pictures but later pivoted to Sony Pictures in 2014 following a few setbacks.
Sony created several tweaks to the concept, but when their option agreement expired in 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures eventually swooped in and secured the rights. Warner Bros. took over the production and actress Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig were chosen for a part in the movie project.

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#2 Amy Schumer was cast as Barbie back in 2016 but never got to film a scene.

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In 2016, Amy Schumer was cast in the lead role in the Barbie film by Sony. Interestingly, she was also invited to co-write the screenplay. But she never got the chance to appear in any scene of the movie in the end, she exited from the project after 4 months. The actress and comedian attributed her leave to scheduling conflicts.

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#3 Years later, the I Feel Pretty star disclosed the real reason why she left the production.

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Amy Schumer started mentioning her departure in 2022, revealing that creative differences were the real reason, in contrast to her statement about scheduling conflicts. According to the star, she had a different view of the film that didn't match the studio's direction.
“They definitely didn’t want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it,” she revealed. She also said that she proposed for Barbie to be an investor in the movie, but the studio made an offer that changed the original idea of her creating a pair of high heels made out of Jell-O.

Source: Warner Bros/Ferrari Press/East News

As the lead actress and co-writer of the movie script, it was essential for Schumer to understand her creative vision. Still, when it turned apparent that her vision could not be accepted, she made the difficult decision of leaving.
The tipping point happened as the studio gave her a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes to commemorate her casting announcement, which was considered a move that did not sit well with her. Proving it, she said, “The idea that that’s just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, ‘You’ve got the wrong gal.’”