Barbie: Michael Cera Reveals Why He Wasn't Included in the Cast's Group Chat
There are a lot of reasons why fans are excited for the Barbie movie, including the project's massive ensemble cast. A number of A-list actors are portraying the film's cast of Barbies, Kens, and other supporting characters — but apparently, one was left out of one cast milestone for a specific reason. In a recent interview with People, Allan actor Michael Cera revealed that he didn't get to be part of the Barbie cast's group chat, as he doesn't actually have a smart phone to join it.
"I don't have an iPhone myself. … I have a flip phone," Cera revealed. "But I still think I wouldn't belong on [the group chat] anyway, because [my character] Allan is sort of in his own little world. Greta [Gerwig']s gift for me when I arrived was a picture disc of NSYNC's No Strings Attached, which felt like somehow a real guiding light in the backstory of this character."
Who Does Michael Cera Play in Barbie?
Cera has been cast in Barbie as Allan, a now-discontinued Barbie supporting character who was originally introduced in 1964. Allan was marketed as Ken's best friend, and later married and had children with Barbie's friend Midge, a decision that was seen as controversial to parents at the time. With Emerald Fennell cast as a pregnant Midge in the Barbie movie, it will be interesting to see how their lore factors into the film's larger narrative.
""It came up very last minute for me," Cera said in a recent interview. "I was brought in really right before they started the movie. It was just so exciting to be there. Amazing people to be around. It was a full wig."
How Many Mattel Movies Are in the Works?
According to a new report from The New Yorker, there are a total of 45 Mattel-related movies in the process of getting made, including (but not limited to) Barney, Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, and He-Man. Other projects that have been announced to be in development over the years include American Girl, Big Jim, Chatty Cathy and Betsy Wetsy, Magic 8 Ball, Matchbox, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, Uno, View-Master, and Wishbone.
"Barbie is one of the most iconic franchises in the world and we are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures and Margot Robbie to bring her to life on the big screen," Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel, said in a statement when the film took shape. "We look forward to building on this collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures as we tell the stories of our beloved brands. Mattel Films is on a path to demonstrate the enormous potential of our brand portfolio, as we continue to execute on our strategy of transforming Mattel into an IP-driven, high performing toy company."
What Is the Barbie Movie About?
In 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 comes Barbie, which hits theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel.