Everyone is getting ridiculously excited for the release of the new “Barbie” movie this summer. The cast is chock-full of big names from Will Ferrell and Issa Rae to the main stars, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. However, some people were shocked to learn that Robbie wasn’t initially slated for the role. In fact, Amy Schumer was on board to star in “Barbie” but she quit because they didn’t want to do it the way she envisioned. Her departure is the only reason Robbie got the role.
- The “Barbie” movie has been in development since 2009. That’s when Mattel and Universal Pictures signed a partnership. However, by 2014, Sony Pictures had taken over and Schumer was onboarded in 2016 as the star and also the script writer. Sadly, four months later she departed due to “scheduling issues.” It’s only now that the movie is coming out that she’s revealed the truth.
- Amy Schumer wanted a whole different “Barbie.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 41-year-old described herself as ultimately the “wrong gal” for the role and cited creative differences as the real reason for her exit. “The studio definitely didn’t want to do it the way I wanted to do it. The only way I was interested in doing it,” she explained.
- Schumer wanted Barbie to be an inventor. However, Sony Pictures was keen to make the doll more of a bimbo and suggested she should make high heels made of Jell-O. They even sent Schumer herself a pair of Manolo Blahnik heels when the casting was publicly announced. That turned out to be the final straw for Schumer. “The idea that that’s just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, ‘You’ve got the wrong gal,'” she said.
- Sony offloaded “Barbie” not long after and it landed at Warner Bros. in 2018. In July 2019, Margot Robbie was cast as the lead actress and Greta Gerwig was brought on as director in 2020. My, how things change!
“Barbie” will be released in theaters on July 21.
