The Fast X Crew Kept Finding Excuses To Visit The Barbie Set Next Door
When it comes to planning a "Barbie" double-feature, the popular, oft-memed choice has to be Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer." After all, his historical epic is opening in theaters on the same day as Greta Gerwig's candy-colored take on the popular toy, so it makes sense for dynamic movie lovers to balance out one with the other. But the new issue of Total Film features an interview with the cast of "Barbie" that has me brainstorming yet another aesthetically opposite double feature: "Barbie" and "Fast X."
The Margot Robbie-led film might seem like it doesn't have much in common with the long-running action saga, but the two productions actually shared something major: a production location. Robbie told Total Film that during the five-month "Barbie" shoot on the Warner Bros. lot in the UK, one production was actually neighbors with the other. "You've never seen so many grown men find excuses to come to set," Robbie said, describing not just the "Fast X" cast but a whole host of people who wanted to catch a glimpse of Barbieland. "Everyone would gravitate towards it," she told Total Film.
"I mean, 'Fast & Furious' was shooting at the same studio and they would all come over to look," Robbie continued. "Our crew was made up of extraordinarily talented people who've seen the greatest sets in the world, and they would tear up. Everyone was so excited." Robbie didn't specify which castmates stopped by, but it's obvious that everyone loves Barbie, even the muscle-bound action stars of the "Fast" saga. We do know at least one person who crossed paths with Robbie during filming, and it actually landed him a role in the film. John Cena, who plays the brother of Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster's characters in the "Fast" franchise, is set to play a mermaid in the "Barbie" movie.
One visitor ended up with a role in the film
In an interview with the "Today" show (via Yahoo), Cena revealed that he was actually "rejected" via the official audition process, but a run-in with Robbie led to his appearance as a mermaid. "It was a happy accident," the wrestler-turned-actor told the "Today" show. "We just ran into each other as friends. 'Fast X' was filming across the street from 'Barbie,' and [she asked], 'Why don't you do 'Barbie?'" Cena told Robbie he'd been trying to get a role in the film, and she was able to make that dream a reality. Cena noted that Robbie "makes a lot of the decisions" for the "Barbie" film, which she produces as well as stars in. The film will actually mark the first time Robbie and Cena work together, according to the actor.
Both "Fast X" and "Barbie" have massive, impressive cast lists, with the latter starring Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Hari Nef, and more, while the former features Jason Momoa, Rita Moreno, Alan Ritchson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Charlize Theron, among others. John Cena's double duty seems to be the only crossover the two franchises have, but that doesn't stop me from hoping we'll one day get some fun, silly behind-the-scenes footage from those impromptu set visits. Dom and his family have driven nearly every cool car in the world, but have they really lived if they haven't gotten behind the wheel of Barbie's pink Corvette? I don't think so.
"Fast X" is now in theaters. "Barbie" hits theaters on July 21, 2023.