Entertainment- "Barbie" star Will Ferrell said the film will be both a satire and a "loving homage."
- Ferrell confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that he will be playing the CEO of toy company Mattel.
Will Ferrell praised the story of the upcoming "Barbie" film and described it as both a satire and a "loving homage to the brand."
In a new interview with Wall Street Journal Magazine, Ferrell confirmed his role in Barbie as the CEO of Mattel, the toy company that created Barbie. He also shared some details about the highly-anticipated film, directed by Greta Gerwig.
"It is, in my humble opinion, the ultimate example of high art and low art," the actor said. "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."
Ferrell added: "Boy, when I read it, I was like, 'This is fantastic.' 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."
Ferrell is not the only actor excited about the film's release next year. Marvel star Simu Liu, who is rumored to be playing an alternative version of Ken alongside Ncuti Gatwa and Ryan Gosling, told the Independent earlier this year that he was enjoying the internet buzz surrounding the movie.
"Honestly, the discourse online is giving me life," Liu said. "With every casting announcement or bit of news, they're like: 'What is this?' And that's perfect – the less you know about it the better."
Fans also flocked to the movie set while Margot Robbie, Gosling, and Ferrell were filming in Los Angeles over the summer.
In September, Robbie, who plays Barbie in the film, said on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" that she was embarrassed by all the fans taking pictures.
"I can't tell you how mortified we were, by the way," Robbie said. "We look like we're like laughing and having fun, but dying on the inside. Dying. I was like, 'This is the most humiliating moment of my life.'"
She added: "I mean, I knew that we had some exteriors to shoot in LA. I knew, OK, once you were doing exteriors, you're gonna get papped. There's probably going to be a little crowd of people who are going to stand out, because, you know, we stand out a little bit in those outfits. So I knew there was going to be a little bit of attention, and probably some photos would get out there, but not like it did. It was like, mad. It was like, hundreds of people watching."
"Barbie," which premieres in theaters in July 2023, also stars "SNL" comedian Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, and America Ferrera.