For many, it may have seemed like casting Margot Robbie as Barbie was something incredibly obvious, but apparently for Margot Robbie herself, that wasn’t quite the case. The actress is known for using a particular exercise to get inside her characters, but apparently, when trying to bring Barbie to life, the traditional methods just didn’t work. It seems that Barbie does not translate well to an animal form.
Margot Robbie has spoken before about how she uses animals as a way to connect with the characters she plays. Her character in last year’s Babylon was apparently inspired by a honey badger, but if you were curious what animal Barbie is, she apparently isn't one. Robbie tells Vogue that her usual methods weren’t working with Barbie, though she apparently tried to be inspired by a flamingo. I suppose that was inspired by Barbie's feet and legs that have everybody so excited.
The reason Robbie may not have been able to connect Barbie to an animal may be explained by what eventually did work. Robbie says director and co-writer Greta Gerwig sent her an episode of the NPR show This American Life that dealt with a woman who does no introspection. The actress explained…
You know how you have a voice in your head all the time? This woman, she doesn’t have that voice in her head.
This was what was apparently missing. And it makes a lot of sense when you look at the Barbie movie trailer and get an idea of what this movie is going to be. The characters and Barbie’s world clearly have never been introspective. The concept seems foreign. But then, what would happen if after living that way forever, you started being introspective? That seems to be what the story is about based on everything we know about the Barbie movie.
Along with this lack of introspection also comes a lack of comprehension of some of the things that a Barbie doll is most known for. Barbie is often held up as an example of impossible physical perfection, but Robbie says that while others may see Barbie that way, one of the key things about her is that she doesn’t see herself as sexy, because she wouldn’t even have a concept of the term. Robbie continues…
I’m like, Okay, she’s a doll. She’s a plastic doll. She doesn’t have organs. If she doesn’t have organs, she doesn’t have reproductive organs. If she doesn’t have reproductive organs, would she even feel sexual desire? No, I don’t think she could. She is sexualized. But she should never be sexy. People can project sex onto her. Yes, she can wear a short skirt, but because it’s fun and pink. Not because she wanted you to see her butt.
One gets the distinct impression, that while the Barbie movie is going to send its title character on an adventure, the movie is going to reveal a great deal more about the society that created the doll in the first place. We’ll find out when Barbie hits theaters this summer.
