Will Ferrell Thinks Barbie Is The Perfect Marriage Of High And Low Art
Finally, someone understands the glory of "Barbie" on more than just a superficial level. Since the announcement of Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" starring Margot Robbie, most of the talk has been centered on the unbelievably stacked cast, the pitch-perfect fashion design, Ryan Gosling's bleach blonde hair, and the cast sleepover that kicked off production. This is Barbie's world and we're all just impatiently waiting for any and every update living in it. In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Will Ferrell, who is tragically not playing a Ken doll, spoke a bit about his time working on the film and his exciting role as the "insensitive" and "weird" fictional CEO of Mattel.
This is big news, as Gerwig and Mattel have been pretty tight-lipped about the film's plot. A larger-than-life comedian like Will Ferrell sounds like the perfect fit for the role of a villainous CEO of a toy company, but it also lets us know that "Barbie" is not treating the character like a human being, but as a doll. Ferrell also correctly declares that "Barbie" is the perfect marriage of two realms of art, which is the gospel truth any true Friend of Barbie has known for years. "It is, in my humble opinion, the ultimate example of high art and low art," Ferrell says. He continued by confessing what about Gerwig's script drew him to the project:
"It's a loving homage to the brand and, at the same time, couldn't be more satirical — 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. Boy, when I read it, I was like, 'This is fantastic.'"
Expanding the possibilities of Barbie
Now that we know Will Ferrell is playing the CEO of Mattel, it's safe to assume that much of the cast will either be playing dolls or possibly other workers at Mattel. The film is also the most diversely cast film of Greta Gerwig's career with Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Emerald Fennell, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou, Michael Cera, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, and Connor Swindells.
Look, Barbie already has a Dreamhouse, but this is a Barbie Dream Cast™ to die for.
If you're not up-to-date on all things Barbie, the doll is so much more than what the "Tiny Shoulders" documentary already covered. Barbie is a vlogger, a motivational speaker, a girl-power icon, and currently providing relatable memes to people on TikTok who don't know how to parallel park. Barbie is the perfect balance of camp and class, and she's remained an icon for over 60 years for a reason.
We can all party with "Barbie" when it hits theaters nationwide on July 23, 2023.