The Barbie Set Had To Be Rigged In Order For Kate McKinnon To Do Weird Barbie's Splits
The "Barbie" movie is here and it is an absolute hit. What may have seemed like a joke a few years ago has turned into one of the year's best movies. "Barbie" is a fantastic exploration of the legacy and meaning of the titular doll that changed the game and forever left its mark on the culture, a movie that is as goofy as "The Lego Movie," while also being as serious and thematically resonant as "Little Women."
One of the weirdest parts of the movie involves, well, Weird Barbie. Kate McKinnon plays a reflection of the nightmare fuel that results from many a doll loved just a little too hard. She has messed up hair, mismatched clothes, lots of drawing around her face, and very, very flexible joints.
Indeed, this Barbie just can't stop doing the splits, whether it's standing up and leaning on a wall or doing a perfect 180-degree split on the floor. Only, as talented as McKinnon is, she is no Olympic athlete, so alternatives were needed in order to bring Weird Barbie's splits to life.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, McKinnon revealed that she used a fake leg to achieve the splits, "and a heavy one." Indeed, the actor used a fake leg to achieve those perfect splits, with the aid not of CGI, but of practical effects by way of intricate set design — courtesy of production designer Sarah Greenwood ("Pride & Prejudice," "Anna Karenina").
"Sarah who did the set design was like, 'I've made all these holes in the wall where she can put her real leg in, and then we'll rig the other leg up,'" Greta Gerwig explained. "It was like a practical effect." When Weird Barbie does a split on the floor, McKinnon is actually hiding her legs in a secret compartment while displaying two fake ones.
This Barbie can do the splits
Damien Chazelle may have spent millions trying to replicate pre-code Hollywood (and give us Tobey Maguire as a coke gremlin) in "Babylon," but "Barbie" truly feels like a classic, golden-era Hollywood movie made in 2023. The film has spectacular and intricate sets, and so much attention was paid to the smallest detail that may not be strictly necessary to get the movie made, but it all adds to the experience of seeing this life in plastic come to life. From the massive Dream House set to the matte paintings and rolling backgrounds for the transition scene between Barbieland and the real world
These result in a movie that feels as magic as when you first watch "The Wizard of Oz," a cinematic experience that uses every tool available for all its worth in order to bring a fantastical world to life, even when other techniques might be faster or cheaper. Greta Gerwig and her crew understood the value of different techniques, and the place CGI has, as well as the value and impact practical sets and effects have when used in the right place.
As for Weird Barbie, this piece of nightmare fuel is already getting her own official doll, whether we want it or not.