America Ferrera Joins Margot Robbie In The Live-Action Barbie Movie
Come on, Barbie, let's go party! For the first time in the 60-plus year history of the Barbie Doll, Ms. Barbara Millicent Roberts is finally getting a live-action adaptation (unless you count Epcot's "Magical World of Barbie" show from 1994, which I DO) thanks to Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment. Robbie is set to play the titular fashion doll in a bit of pretty perfect casting, and Ryan Gosling has already been tagged to play Barbie's right-hand man, Ken. The film is directed by Academy Award-nominated director Greta Gerwig from a script written by Gerwig and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Noah Baumbach. Barbie has come under fire many, many times over the course of her career for her impact on young girls, but with Robbie and Gerwig at the helm, there's no doubt that our Barbie Girl is in good hands.
To add to the excitement, America Ferrera ("Superstore," "Ugly Betty," "Real Women Have Curves") has been announced as co-starring opposite Robbie and Gosling, in a currently unnamed role. As the plot details of the film have still been kept under wraps, there are endless possibilities as to who Ferrera will be playing. If we're looking at Barbie lore, Ferrera would make a great Teresa Rivera, Barbie's Latina best friend who was introduced in 1988 and has been Barbie's most frequently featured non-Ken companion in the toy line. Ferrera as Teresa seems like a safe bet, then again, this movie could go full "Life Size" on us and Ferrera may just be a normal person who encounters Barbie.
Barbie Has Evolved With the Times
Barbie is a pretty polarizing cultural figure, with the documentary "Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie" covering the legacy of Barbie–the good, the bad, and the inspirational. Unless you have children of your own, there's a high probability that you're unaware of what a powerful image shift Barbie has had in recent years, especially with the Barbie Vlog series on YouTube. As children become more tech savvy, cross-over appeal is necessary and the Barbie Vlogs provide genuinely great education for emotional development and building self-confidence.
If this is the angle that the Barbie movie chooses to pursue, it'll be exactly the type of movie that young girls (and adults who need to do some healing of their inner child) need. From the very start of America Ferrera's career, she's consistently performed in projects that encourage a positive sense of self while normalizing the idea that sometimes society doesn't always treat us the way we deserve based on the way we look. Her characters are smart, savvy, and everything that makes the new wave of Barbie worth celebrating. Whether she plays Teresa or someone else entirely, Ferrera truly represents what a Barbie Girl should be, and this casting is one more reason to get excited for Gerwig's film.