Barbie, after all, didnt just bring a familiar plastic doll to the big screen.
In the wake of its success, any other players are hard to envision.
Everyones probably sick of the sight of me for now, she laughs.
Josh Telles for Deadline
December 25thmarked the 10thanniversary of the release ofThe Wolf of Wall Street.
Could you have predicted what this decade would bring?
MARGOT ROBBIE: Wow.
I hadnt thought of that, and Id been thinking about giving it another watch.
I really want to rewatch it, so maybe Ill do a little 10-year reunion watch.
So much has happened in the past decade.
Could you have foreseen that as you were developing it?
Did the success come with a sense of relief for having got it across the line?
ROBBIE: It was the best-case scenario for how a film could turn out.
But 90% of you has to be certain its going to work.
Thats how I approach everything.
IknowI am, and I dont understand why people are questioning that.
Why cant anyone else see it?
Why is everyone looking so worried?
Everyones right, this is a terrible idea.
Its going to go badly wrong.
The success is the moment where its extremely validating.
That 10% of you disappears and you go, I knew I was right about this.
I knew it was something people wanted.
Too much of this, too much of that.
I dont just mean forBarbie.
For a lot of these movies that weve taken big swings on, thats been the case.
There is always a big, big chance that its not going to hit.
Timing is a huge part of it, too.
A brilliant movie is a brilliant movie, whether it comes out now or in 20 years.
you might watchThe Wolf of Wall Streeta decade later and hopefully it still holds up.
I watch movies from a hundred years ago and theyre still brilliant.
The temperature in the world just really wanted the big injection of joy that the movie represents.
I think there was a feeling out there that everyone needed this movie at the time it came out.
DEADLINE: It came out on the same day asOppenheimer, a film about the end of the world.
WithBarbie, its hard to recall the last time we had such a warm-hearted comedy at this level.
ROBBIE: Id really been missing silly comedy.
Silly, smart comedy.
A lot of physical comedy, a lot of silly but smart jokes, something very referential.
That kind of comedy had all but disappeared from mainstream cinema for a number of years.
Honestly, probablyAustin Powersis the last time I felt it.
Everything became very specific; comedy forthiskind of audience, orthatkind of audience.
We were missing the silly, smart comedy that could be a hit for everybody.
No, this was for everyone.
There are definitely jokes that some people are going to find funny that will go over other peoples heads.
I mean, theres a joke about Proust in there [laughs].
Some things will go over some peoples heads.
Its because people are really specific, and people are really weird.
Things just tickle you for some reason, and other things dont, and everyone has different things.
The magic of the movie is how personal it feels, even though its extremely big.
And it really was a personal movie; we put a lot of ourselves into it.
ROBBIE: One of the main reasons was that the name Barbie is just so globally recognizable.
Its like Coca-Cola and McDonalds.
You cant compare it even to something likeThe Little Mermaid; its so much bigger than that.
Its comparable to the biggest conglomerate brand names.
So, thats an immediate recognition of the potential outreach.
But more important than that was knowing that people had such strong feelings about Barbie, good or bad.
The first time I read it, I thought the story was fictional.
Thats a really interesting place to start to share an experience with an audience.
WithBarbie, I really felt like we could do something similar but on a much grander scale.
Over the years, Barbie has elicited very strong responses from people.
People have made signs to protest Barbie.
Theyve been writing think-pieces about Barbie for years.
So many different feelings.
The movies opportunity was to subvert that, to show who she was and where she came from.
The inherent challenge of how you describeBarbie, then, is how do you reach all those different groups?
On paper it feels like the two shouldnt be compatible.
ROBBIE: We really didnt want to avoid or appease anyone in particular.
Youve got to make it resonate with them.
Thats not to say we all sat down trying to figure out the puzzle as you describe it.
All I knew going into it was that there was an opportunity here to do that thing.
I knew she wouldnt be glossing over the spiky bits, which was important in our writer/director.
I knew she wouldnt be interested in doing that.
Overall, it was important that it not be mean-spirited.
It always had to come from a place of love.
And I think it was about making it feel hopeful.
It felt like we could hold the spiky bits and the warmth in the same hands.
At the end of the day, the movie is kind of not really about Barbie.
Gretas the genius that looked at it and went, Arent humans so strange?
They made a doll, then they got mad at the doll.
Its an inanimate object [laughs].
Isnt that just so crazy?
I cant claim any of these thoughts were fully fleshed out when I went after the rights forBarbie.
Not just withI, TonyaandBarbie.
Its there in the work of Emerald Fennell withPromising Young WomanandSaltburn and its there inBirds of Prey.
It feels baked into the DNA.
Did it feel like a radical approach when you set out with the company?
And maybe its because I love old movies so much.
I rewatch movies voraciously.
I have no problem watchingThe Philadelphia Storyfor the 50thtime.
I have no problem watchingBridesmaidsfor the 100thtime.
Also, it costsso muchto make a movie.
Sometimes youll read a script and think, Why is this being made?
Theres nothing new or interesting.
Nothing better than what has already been done a million times before.
That is just crazy to me.
Its a horrible waste of money, and a horrible waste of peoples time.
Maybe studios have quotas to fill and release dates to hit, but as producers, we dont.
Its like, no, just make the great ones.
I just dont understand how you muster the energy to start the journey by aiming for mediocrity.
Its autopilot, and a lot of it comes from a place of fear.
People make the safe choice becauseeverythingfeels scary.
I get that, too.
Trust me, like I said, Ive got 10% of that in me.
It really cant sway my decisions.
And look, it isnt the 90s anymore.
The landscape has changed.
It is changing every day.
When its not my money being put up, thats easier for me to say.
If I were putting up all the money, I might be operating from a place of more fear.
Theres a difference between being responsible and playing it safe, absolutely.
A big, big difference.
We are always being responsible.
Were responsible producers and filmmakers.
But I definitely cant stand the idea of playing things safe.
DEADLINE: Perhaps that 10% is essential, then.
Because success breeds confidence, and if that confidence becomes absolute, you risk the loss of responsibility.
How many great artists lost their power when they started operating from a place of absolutely no fear?
Youve got to be careful with that confidence, because it might not be confidence in yourself.
Like I said, there are no guarantees in this industry.
You just have to listen to all the different voices in your head.
DEADLINE: Youre a serial rewatcher.
Metering what you described comes from understanding the history of the artform in all its forms.
Didnt you establish a regular screening program on the set ofBarbie?
ROBBIE: Yeah, we did a Movie Church every Sunday morning.
Greta would referenceThe Red Shoeswhen we were talking about the exact kind of color LUT that we wanted.
Or shed referenceHis Girl Fridaywhen shed say, I want all the Barbies to talk at this pace.
Or the more obvious direct references like2001: A Space Odyssey.
There are so many Kubrick references for aBarbiemovie [laughs].
Theres even aShiningreference in there.
DEADLINE: He would probably have approved.
ROBBIE: Yeah, I think he would have [laughs].
We were striving for in-camera trickery.
The painted backdrops were probably the most exciting thing to watch evolve.
Watching artistry on a movie of the scale ofBarbieis just mind-blowing.
Thats where you find the magic, like all those classics from the 50s.
You feel it when you know that someone is there painstakingly orchestrating it for you.
It isnt just the infinite possibilities of a computer program.
Its handmade and its happening in real time purely for your enjoyment.
Theres something special about that.
DEADLINE: That resonates because it might explain the enormous success the movie has enjoyed.
And plenty of movies are exactly that.
Something thats there, that you could touch and interact with.
The greatest artists of cinema practicing their art at the highest levels, from dozens of different disciplines.
And you feel that in the finished movie.
ROBBIE: I completely agree with you.
I love being on set.
There are people that dont, and Ill never get it.
Thats a thing that happens less and less these days, in all aspects of life.
Even online, people get pushed into groups of people who are just like them.
As an actor, thats just crucial, spending time around so many different personalities.
Its a valuable thing.
DEADLINE: Do you remember the first moment you stepped onto a set and felt that magic?
It was just like you, the director, and a camera in a tiny room.
OnNeighbours, it was a proper studio.
There was a whole machine working to make this show come together.
The pace is insane.
I feel like people dont truly appreciate when someone makes a great film at a big budget.
Thats a skillset that many filmmakers maybe most filmmakers cant pull off.
A giant scale movie flexes a whole different set of muscles, and very few people can do it.
But its often dismissed, like you said, as, Oh, its popcorn.
Mate, its the big leagues, is what it is.
Soaps work at such a pace that its its own amazing skillset.
Everyone has to work well together or it cant function.
I couldnt have enough eyes.
I wanted to know what everyone was doing, and how they were doing it.
It was absolutely fascinating.
I loved itso much.
DEADLINE: Did you know the show beforehand?
ROBBIE: I had watched it, of course.
You cant really avoid it being an Australian; its likeNeighboursandHome and Awayare always on.
Its kind of omnipresent, like Vegemite.
Ive never had tunnel vision on set.
But I cant help it.
I love all of it.
I remember when I was onPanAm, I would just pepper the DP with a million questions.
OnNeighbours, there was never any time for that because we moved at a crazy pace.
Suddenly, I was on a television show where we had the luxury of time.
We shot one episode a month onPanAm.
Still fast by movie standards, but I came from doing one episode a day.
He said, Just read this.
Youre asking so many questions, just read this book.
Hed probably had enough of me.
But I loved this book, I learned so much.
DEADLINE: You mentioned LUTs earlier.
Very few people outside the camera department know what LUTs are.
ROBBIE: Yeah, I love the color science.
Coming up with a color table.
Watching Rodrigo [Prieto] onBarbiewas so much fun.
Id worked with him onThe Wolf of Wall Street, so it was a reunion.
Every second on set, hes adjusting the color table.
Hes constantly adjusting it.
I was like, Is this a continuity issue?
And he said, It would be more of a continuity issue if I werent adjusting it.
Im leveling it all the time because its changing all the time.
DEADLINE: Many actors establish production companies to find material for them to star in.
WithBarbie, you insisted Gerwig was free to cast someone else in the lead role if she chose.
Plan B was always the north star for us.
Once youre a producer on something, youve got no leverage, youve got no negotiating power.
DEADLINE: Youve managed to get quite a lot of movies across the line in your first decade.
If were any more successful at it or whatever.
Producing is such a nebulous job, and everyone has different priorities.
I suppose it depends what the setup is for success, really.
Thats something that gets easier.
At the beginning, it was about getting what you could get.
If someones going to let you produce their movie, youre like, OK, lets go.
DEADLINE: Youve established a brand at this point.
ROBBIE: I hope so.
And we dont want brand identity as an ego thing.
Its so that people can think of us, really, because the brand is about making good things.
If thats not the goal then youre not at the top of anyones call list.
DEADLINE: Youve just made a second film with Emerald Fennell,Saltburn.
How has it felt to you to watch her develop as a filmmaker?
ROBBIE: We are so lucky to have built this relationship with Emerald.
It was a pretty broad comedy.
As soon as we did, it was like, Youre brilliant, well do anything you want.
Im just glad it was us.
DEADLINE: Is there a plan to make something with her that you will star in?
ROBBIE: I would love to.
I also definitely never want to hold up a production.
When Emerald has got a script ready to go, its ready to go.
Its not like, Oh, in a year and a half well start piecing this together.
So, unless that lines up perfectly, Im not going to be the person that holds it up.
And it also ends up being an exciting way to work with other actresses we love.
DEADLINE: So, what is next on your agenda?
Is it theOceans Elevenprequel?
ROBBIE: Well, thats still in development.
Word got out about that; we didnt release anything because its way too soon, to be honest.
Whether it winds up being the next thing, I dont know.
I dont think so.
Im not acting in it, just producing.
A couple of TV things should go this year too.
DEADLINE: Time for a break?
ROBBIE: Everyone says that.
Everyones like, Are you having a break?
And Im like, You do know Im a producer, right?
We dont get a break [laughs].
DEADLINE: Thats why people ask, out of concern.
ROBBIE: [Laughs] True.
I also think everyones probably sick of the sight of me for now.
I should probably disappear from screens for a while.
Honestly, if I did another movie too soon, people would say, Her again?
We just did a whole summer with her.
I dont know what Ill do next, but I hope its a little while away.
DEADLINE: Youve revealed yourself to be a cinematography nerd in this interview.
Are we going to see you direct eventually?
ROBBIE: I really do want to direct.
Ive felt like I wanted to direct for about the last seven years.
But Ive always seen it as a privilege, not a right.
Its funny how many directors ask me about the people Ive worked with.
They say, Oh, does Scorsese pre-light and then rehearse?
Or, Does Damien Chazelle plan the music before the scene?
You realize that directors never get to see how other directors work.
I get to see exactly how Greta does rehearsals and how Marty blocks, or doesnt.
Its such a gift to learn from all these directors firsthand.
But I would really like to direct.
I dont know how much longer Ill be able to hold off.
