The “Barbie” star was prepared to face some pushback from Mattel when she first read Gerwig’s script. Not only was the company shockingly supportive, they even allowed a satirical representation of themselves into the film, one of whom is played by the unstoppable comedic force that is Will Ferrell.
“I wish we could have recorded some of the initial conversations, because they were so funny, and actually some of them, in some ways, ended up in the movie,” Robbie told Screen Rant. “But Mattel were incredible. When I first read the script, I was like, “We’ll never make this movie, and that’s such a shame, because it’s such a great script, but there’s no way Mattel is agreeing to this.”
Mattel executives are painted so ridiculously in the film that they almost match the hyperreality of Barbieland more closely than the human world. This satirical element of the film, commenting not just on the doll but the company that makes it directly, supplements the existing themes and gives it a new depth of awareness.
“Not only do they play a character in the movie, they’re depicted as this heightened reality bridge between Barbieland and reality, and it’s so absurd and so funny,” Robbie continued. “But it’s very self-aware. We’re poking jokes, so I just can’t imagine any other corporate company that big with IP that is as valuable to them as Barbie is and allowing us to make the jokes and say the things that Will Ferrell specifically was saying.” Luckily, as Robbie said, “They were so brave and so supportive.”