Barbie Star Simu Liu Reveals What Sets the Movie Apart

Just a couple of weeks ago, the world got their first major look at the eagerly anticipated Barbie movie with the release of the first official trailer for the upcoming film. Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the first footage from the film revealed a sparkling, brightly colored world but didn't reveal much in the way of what to expect in terms of the story. However, star Simu Liu — who is playing another version of Ken in the film — is now opening up about what the film is really about, it's central message that sets it apart.

"It's really about finding your inner beauty and owning that part of yourself and being the best possible version of you," Liu said at the Unforgettable Gala (via The Direct).

He also noted that Gerwig made it clear that anyone can be Barbie or Ken.

"I remember very clearly about some of our big intricate dance sequences," he said. "Greta was very, very conscientious about who she cast. We were able to cast people of different shapes, sizes, differently abled, to all participate in this dance—all under this message of you don't have to be blonde, white, or X,Y,Z in order to embody what it means to be a Barbie or a Ken."

Who is the cast and crew of the Barbie movie?

Barbie will be directed by Gerwig, with a script from Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. Robbie, who had been rumored to be attached to the project since 2018, will also be producing the project through her LuckyChap banner. The cast of the project also includes America Ferrera (Superstore), Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education) Alexandra Shipp (tick, tick, ...Boom!), Will Ferrell (Anchorman), Issa Rae (Insecure), Michael Cera (Superbad), and Ariana Greenblatt (Avengers: Infinity War).

"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 at the time. "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."

"Playing with Barbie promotes confidence, curiosity and communication throughout a child's journey to self-discovery," Robbie said in a press release at the time of the announcement. "Over the brand's almost 60 years, Barbie has empowered kids to imagine themselves in aspirational roles from a princess to president."

Barbie will be released exclusively in theaters on July 21, 2023.