Fall 2023

Powerful in Pink Actress Margot Robbie Launches “Barbie” Mania B Y B R E T T WI L BUR I n late July, throngs of men, women and kids outfitted in shades of pink— many rocking cat eye sunglasses, with sweaters tied nattily around their necks and sparkly accent pieces—eagerly made their way to theWarner Brothers “Barbie” movie premiere. Some posed in photo booths to take Barbie and Ken themed photo strips; other theaters had life-sized Barbie doll boxes to step inside. For all the eager- ness, no one knew what to expect of the film, which clocks in at just under two hours. Actress America Ferrera teased, “Whatever you think it is, it’s not that.” Produced by star Margot Robbie with her LuckyChap Entertainment company and directed by Greta Gerwig, who co- wrote the script with her partner, filmmaker Noah Baumbach, “Barbie” is many things all at once, most of them surprising. Those involved in the movie are still amazed that Mattel, the toy giant that owns the rights to Barbie, allowed the trailblazing movie to happen. Robbie is no stranger to creative and bold performances—as a child, the Australian actor performed skits at home, even once terrifying an unwanted babysitter by dousing herself with ketchup and lying on the bathroom floor motionless next to a large kitchen knife. Robbie attended circus school and studied drama, working at bars, cleaning homes and making sandwiches at Subway while she landed parts in low-budget thrillers, soap operas and, eventually, bigger movies. Known for her dialed-in accents, versatility and physicality, the award-winning actor starred in “The Wolf of Wall Street” with Leonardo DiCaprio and “Suicide Squad,” where she played anti-hero Harley Quinn with an ensemble all-star cast and performed her own stunts, including holding her breath underwater for five minutes. In “I, Tonya,” based on the tragic and violent real-life story of ice skater Tonya Harding, Robbie trained to figure skate and received an Academy Award In the record-breaking “Barbie” movie, Margot Robbie plays “Stereotypical Barbie” who lives in the very pink Barbieland in her Dream House. Robbie produced the movie through LuckyChap Entertainment Company with Warner Bros. Discovery. Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures 98 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 ~SPOI LER ALERT~