Barbie Star Will Ferrell Teases His “Insensitive, Weird” Take on Mattel’s CEO

Fans are looking forward to the upcoming Margot Robbie-starring Barbie film for various reasons, and in one of the more unexpected casting choices for such a project, Will Ferrell is starring as an executive at Mattel, with the actor recently detailing his take on the CEO as being “insensitive” and “weird.” A film based on one of the most iconic dolls in history has been in the works for quite some time, yet with how many years a reported project has been in development, audiences still have little idea of how the figure could be brought to life for a movie. Barbie is currently slated to hit theaters on July 23, 2023.

“It is, in my humble opinion, the ultimate example of high art and low art,” Ferrell shared with the Wall Street Journal about the new film. “It’s a loving homage to the brand and, at the same time, couldn’t be more satirical — just an amazing comment on male patriarchy and women in society and why Barbie’s criticized and yet why every little girl still wants to play with Barbie. Boy, when I read it, I was like, ‘This is fantastic.’”

The actor added, “I get to play the CEO of Mattel and be that guy who’s just insensitive but weird, and then, not to spoil anything, but…. Anyway, that’s what excites me.”

In addition to starring Robbie and Ferrell, the film also stars Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Issa Rae, and Michael Cera. Despite how little audiences know about the project, some fans have speculated that performers will potentially all be playing various iterations of the iconic Barbie and Ken.

Films based solely on toys have been met with various reactions, as projects like Battleship or the G.I. Joe series have been disappointments, yet the Transformers series and The LEGO Movie have fared much better financially and in some cases critically.

“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 the film’s official announcement. “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.”  

Barbie is currently slated to hit theaters on July 23, 2023.

Are you looking forward to the movie? Let us know in the comments!