Barbie Star Michael Cera Shares One Thing He Loved About Playing Allan (Exclusive)
We talked to Michael Cera about playing Allan in Barbie, and he shared one of his favorite things about the character.
Barbie is now playing in theaters, and the movie is absolutely crushing it at the box office. The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken in addition to many other stars as various Barbies and Kens. The movie also sees Michael Cera playing Allan, Ken's best friend who was introduced in 1964 and could "fit in all of Ken's clothes." Warning: Spoilers Ahead! When Gosling's Ken learns about the patriarchy in the real world, he takes the idea back to Barbieland and the Kens begin taking over. However, Allan isn't a fan of the new regime and tries to help the Barbies take back their world. Recently, ComicBook.com had the chance to chat with Cera, and he revealed one thing he loved about playing Allan.
"I love that I get to be a part of the uprising," Cera shared. "I'm honored that Allan is included in that and he's just really happy to be there and get rid of all these horses and leather couches."
Who Almost Played Allan?
Before the role of Allan went to Cera, the part was almost performed by Mindhunter and Broadway star Jonathan Groff. "Dear, dear Jonathan Groff was like, 'I can't believe I'm typing this, but I can't do Allan," casting director, Allison Jones told Vanity Fair. Bowen Yang, Dan Levy, and Ben Platt were also unable to be a part of the film due to the production's three months in London.
Greta Gerwig Addresses Barbie's Snyder Cut Joke:
There are plenty of laughs to be had in Barbie, and there's one moment that pokes fun at another Warner Bros. project: Zack Snyder's Justice League. The joke is in good fun, but there's no denying that fans of Snyder are one of the most intense groups of people on the Internet. In the movie, Writer Barbie (Alexandria Shipp) is awoken after being brainwashed by Kens, and she describes it as follows: "It's like I've been in a dream where I was really invested in the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League." While this is a pretty innocent joke, there are already people upset about it on social media. It feels like the joke is poking fun at fans rather than Snyder himself, so ComicBook.com recently asked Barbie director Greta Gerwig about it. Turns out, she's not well-versed in the Snyder fandom.
"I didn't even really realize that," Gerwig said when asked about antagonizing such a forceful group of fans. "I didn't even... Because I don't have a dog in this fight, I didn't even really know, I knew it was a thing. I don't know the contours of all the ins and outs. But it's the kind of thing that I vaguely know. But I think that was the thing, that it was like if [Writer Barbie] had a vague knowledge of, and then all of a sudden in a certain state, it really meant a lot to her, and then it went away."
What Is Barbie 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 hit 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.
Editor's note: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG actors' strike.