Meet The 'Barbie' Movie Cast And The Characters They Play: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, And More
Are you excited for the premiere of the Barbie movie? Well, the wait is almost over! Just a couple more days until the big day on July 21, 2023. By the way, you can grab your tickets here if you haven't already. Personally, I've already secured mine and now I'm just trying to decide which fabulous pink outfit to wear. After all, how often do we get to embrace our inner Barbie girl in a Barbie world?
The new Barbie movie is a masterpiece co-written and directed by the talented Greta Gerwig. And the star power attached to it is simply amazing, with big names like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Dua Lipa gracing the billboards. As if that weren't enough, the movie's soundtrack is going to be incredible too, featuring artists such as Ice Spice, Lizzo, and Billie Eilish.
Make sure to mark your calendars for Billie Eilish's new song "What Was I Made For?" dropping on July 13, it's going to be amazing!
Now, I know you must be dying for more details about this highly anticipated film, considering we've been waiting for over a decade. Well, fear not! Women's Health has got you covered. Keep reading to discover the key cast members and learn more about their captivating characters.
#1. Margot Robbie as Barbie
The 33-year-old actress absolutely took on the role of a lifetime, becoming one of the most favorite Barbies in the Barbie movie. Indeed, she often wears elaborate pink outfits at nearly every press event. Robbie, who has full main character energy, starred in titular roles before, including I, Tonya and Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, to name a few.
She and the movie producer Tom Ackerly got married but remain their relationship pretty under wraps.
#2. Ryan Gosling as Ken
Ryan Gosling will be the most prominent Ken in the movie. The actor starred in The Notebook, La La Land, and Crazy Stupid Love; and really knows to make people swoon.
Ryan, 42, shares his two daughters, Esmerelda and Amada, with his spouse, Eva Mendes.
#3. America Ferrera as A Human
The 39-year-old actress, America Ferrera plays a human in Barbie. You may recognize her in her iconic roles in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Ugly Betty. She shares a fun bonding with other Barbies on set.
During the shooting, the film’s cast had a slumber party to bond, and America showed up dressed as a grandma. “Everybody was in, like, really pretty silky nightgowns, and I was in the most grandma floral twin set you could imagine,” America revealed on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
#4. Ariana Greenblatt as A Human
Arianna Greenblatt, 15, is a child actress who will also take part in this flick. She is best known for her roles in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle (she starred alongside Wednesday's Jenna Ortega) and as a Young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War. She also played a young Nina in the musical In The Heights.
Recently, Arianna said to Elle that she had a "core memory" with Margot Robbie on the set of the Barbie movie as she shared sushi and matcha lattes with her co-star: “That was such a special moment for me that I’ll never forget,” she said.
#5. Simu Liu as Ken
In the Barbie movie, Simu Liu plays another Ken doll. In case you are unfamiliar with the 34-year-old Canadian actor in his new plastic-fantastic role, you may recognize him from the sitcom Kim's Convenience, the Marvel Movies Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, and the Shang-Chi movie.
The hardest part of Simu's role in Barbie, he recently admitted to Page Six, was getting waxed. “I was screaming away the whole time,” he shared with the publication.
#6. Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie
ICYDK, Dua Lipa is a Barbie doll as well. In the movie, the singer will make her acting debut as Barbie the mermaid. Additionally, she has a song on the Barbie soundtrack called "Dance The Night" (which is heard in the trailer).
The movie's producer, Mark Ronson, recruited the 27-year-old pop star, who is English and Albanian. And according to NME, he actually slid into her Instagram DMs to ask her to join the project.
#7. Emerald Fennell as Midge
Emerald Fennell portrays the lesser-known but still beloved Barbie, Midge (so-called the "pregnant Barbie"). Emerald's role might be likely a small role but she is definitely one IRL.
You might recognize her in Killing Eve or from her role as Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown.
#8. Issa Rae as President Barbie
This summer, Issa Rae has kept herself very busy. She not only plays President Barbie in the upcoming movie, but she also had a part in Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, another big summer blockbuster.
"[Greta Gerwig] was like 'I want you to imagine how you played with Barbies," Issa said, on how she created her character for the film. "[My mom] got me 90210 Barbies, and I was like 'I don't even know who these characters are,' so I named them myself."
#9. Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie
Kate McKinnon of Saturday Night Live portrays the weird Barbie that was forgotten and left for too long at the bottom of the toy box. The one, you know. Kate described her character as the doll that kids "cut their hair, burned their clothes, and [drew] on" on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
According to the trailer, her doll, the one that is "always in the splits," will serve as a sort of spiritual guide for Margot's Barbie as she travels to the real world in the movie. The 39-year-old actress and comedian is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live, and throughout her career, she has won (and been nominated for) a TON of awards.
#10. Michael Cera as Allan Sherwood
In Barbie, Michael Cera, best known for his roles in Superbad and Juno, will portray Allan Sherwood, Midge's husband. According to GQ, this doll was introduced by Mattel in 1964 and quickly phased out, just like Midge.
Ryan Gosling and Emerald Fennel are likely to interact with Michael frequently in his scenes because Allan was introduced as "Ken's buddy" and Midge's main man.
#11. Will Ferrell as Mattel Executive
I should have seen this one from a mile away. Even though his character poster requests that you refer to him as "mother," Will Ferrell is actually portraying a Mattel executive in the upcoming Barbie movie.
Will has a long list of achievements and credits, but he's probably best known for playing Buddy the Elf in Elf and Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights. And despite having played so many prominent roles in films, he is still eager to turn up the heat on Barbie. In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Will described his character as "insensitive" and "weird."
Though he describes Barbie as "just an amazing comment on male patriarchy and women in society and why Barbie's criticized and yet why every little girl still wants to play with Barbie," he seems pretty stoked to be a part of the toy.
Who is your favorite character in the movie? Let us know in the comments below!