Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Refused to Use CGI For Barbie Feet

When it comes to modern filmmaking, there’s often a lot of discussion about CGI and its use, particularly when it comes to adding details and touches for more fantastic or “unnatural” elements — or even just to augment or enhance the more ordinary. When it comes to the eagerly anticipated Barbie movie out later this month, the use of CGI would almost be expected when it comes to certain details, namely Barbie’s arched feet but according to director Greta Gerwig, discussions of using CGI to give the film’s stars those doll feet were shut down very early on.

“There was a bit discussion in the beginning,” Gerwig said on Australia’s The Project (via Variety). “Everyone said, ‘Are you going to CGI all the feet?’ And I thought, ‘Oh god, no! That’s terrifying! That’s a nightmare.’ Also, Margot has the nicest feet. She has these beautiful dancer feet. She should just hang on to that bar and do it just like this.”

Gerwig also explained that the film, while being a major project, is also deeply personal to her and many of the choices she made for Barbie had ties to her own nostalgia of growing up with the iconic doll in the 1980s.

“Even though this is a huge movie, it feels very personal to me,” Gerwig said. “It was made by so many people who cared about it. Even the Barbie logo we used is the logo that I had as a child of the ’80s. I would stand in the toy store… we had the wide boxes because their hair was really big. I wanted the [logo] that I liked.”

Margot Robbie Revealed How She Perfected That Iconic High Heel Scene

Robbie previously revealed just how many takes it took for her to pull off that iconic high heel scene in the film’s trailer, confirming that those really are her feet — and it didn’t take her all that long to get it right.

“It probably took about eight takes, wasn’t that many,” Robbie said. “They are my feet,” she continued. “I walked up, they. had little sticky bits on the floor, like double-sided tape, for the shoes so they wouldn’t come off so that I could get my feet out of them. I was holding onto a bar, but that’s it. I wasn’t in a harness or anything like that.”

Robbie also explained that she also just prefers to be authentic when it comes to her work, which is why she did the shot with her own feet.

“I always try to do my own inserts. I don’t like when I watch a movie and I know it’s not my hands,” she said. “I hate that so much. I always say to the director, ‘Please let me know my own things.’ I don’t like knowing that I didn’t do them.”

What is Barbie About?

Here’s how Warner Bros describes Barbie: “To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”) comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie (“Bombshell,” “I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (“End of Watch,” the “How to Train Your Dragon” films), Kate McKinnon (“Bombshell,” “Yesterday”), Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Juno”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “65”), Issa Rae (“The Photograph,” “Insecure”), Rhea Perlman (“I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Matilda”), and Will Ferrell (the “Anchorman” films, “Talladega Nights”).” 

“The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne (“Little Women”), Emma Mackey (“Emily,” “Sex Education”), Hari Nef (“Assassination Nation,” “Transparent”), Alexandra Shipp (the “X-Men” films), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami,” “Peaky Blinders”), Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Scott Evans (“Grace and Frankie”), Jamie Demetriou (“Cruella”), Connor Swindells (“Sex Education,” “Emma.”), Sharon Rooney (“Dumbo,” “Jerk”), Nicola Coughlan (“Bridgerton,” “Derry Girls”), Ritu Arya (“The Umbrella Academy”), Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”).”

Barbie will be released exclusively in theaters on July 21st.