As it turns out, Gerwig and Robbie had a very specific movie star in mind during the casting process when it came to that “Barbie energy” — Gal Gadot. Apparently, the “Wonder Woman” and “Red Notice” star just has that Barbie vibe they both looked for as they watched auditions and discussed names… and sadly, Gadot wasn’t available for the project. Despite that, Robbie said, “Gal Gadot is Barbie energy. Because Gal Gadot is so impossibly beautiful, but you don’t hate her for being that beautiful, because she’s so genuinely sincere, and she’s so enthusiastically kind, that it’s almost dorky. It’s like right before being a dork.”
Instead of Gadot, the pair booked a veritable murderer’s row of actresses to play Barbie alongside Robbie, including but not limited to Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Dua Lipa, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Alexandra Shipp, and Kate McKinnon. (Ken gets his own multiverse as well; the ones we’ve seen the most so far are Gosling’s and Simu Liu’s.) Gadot might not be in “Barbie,” but she was obviously a huge influence.
