Margot Robbie says playing Barbie "comes with a lot of baggage"

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ending
(Image credit: Sony)

Margot Robbie has talked more about her leading role in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie.

"Right, it comes with a lot of baggage!" Robbie told Vogue. "And a lot of nostalgic connections. But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it. People generally hear 'Barbie' and think, 'I know what that movie is going to be,' and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they're like, 'Oh, well, maybe I don't...'"

At the moment, it's unclear what exactly the film will be about. Gerwig's last two films, Lady Bird and Little Women, both had a strong feminist perspective, so we can expect the trend to continue in the director's take on one of the world's most famous toys. Similarly, Robbie's production company has recently produced the female-centric Promising Young Woman and I, Tonya.

"Now, can we truly honor the IP and the fan base and also surprise people?" Robbie previously told THR. "Because if we can do all that and provoke a thoughtful conversation, then we're really firing on all cylinders."

Barbie has been the subject of multiple animated movies, as well as appearing in the Toy Story franchise. She's not the only Mattel toy getting a live-action movie soon, either – Lily Collins will star in a Polly Pocket movie directed by Lena Dunham.  

Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.