Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Elizabeth Gregory

The Barbie film cast has been released, and gosh, everyone is in it

The first full length trailer for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has dropped, and oh man, it’s a humdinger.

In under two minutes it not only introduces us to Barbie, Barbie, Ken, Barbie, Barbie, Ken, Barbie, Barbie, Ken, and Allan, and plants The Beach Boys’ Fun Fun Fun in our head for at least the next 24 hours, but it also seamlessly sets up a thrilling plot.

The packed cast, which includes Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and then stars such as Issa Rae, Sharon Rooney, Ritu Arya and Nicola Coughlan as a series of glamorous and supe-accomplished Barbies who all seem to live in a Barbie world.

Ken is competing for Barbie’s attention (with another Ken, of course), they are girlfriend and boyfriend, but not sure what that really means or what happens next. But then, Barbie is meeting the CEO of Mattel (Will Ferrell) and going on some sort of adventure in which she is joined by Ken (the Gosling one) and his roller blades, which he brings everywhere with him.

Then, along with the incredible clip, the makers of Barbie released several tweets introducing the full cast. Here’s who is going to be in it, and who they will play.

The Barbies

Margot Robbie - Barbie is everything

Kingsley Ben-Adir - He’s Ken too

Hari Nef - This Barbie is a doctor

Ryan Gosling - He’s just Ken

Issa Rae - This Barbie is president

Simu Liu - He’s another Ken

Alexandra Shipp - This Barbie is a celebrated author

Ritu Arya - This Barbie has a Pulitzer

Michael Cera - There’s only one Allan

Kate McKinnon - This Barbie is always in the splits

Ncuti Gatwa - Ken again!

Nicola Coughlan - This Barbie is a diplomat

Scott Evans - You guessed it. He’s a Ken

Sharon Rooney - This Barbie is a lawyer

Emerald Fennell - She’s Midge

Emma Mackey - This Barbie has a Nobel Prize in physics

Dua Lipa - This Barbie is a mermaid

Ana Cruz Kayne - This Barbie is a Supreme Court Justice

The Humans

America Ferrera - She’s a human

Ariana Greenblatt - She’s also a human

Helen Mirren - She’s the narrator

Will Ferrell - Please call me mother (the CEO of Mattell)

Connor Swindells - He’s like an intern or something

Jamie Demetriou - He’s a suit

What have Robbie and Gosling said about playing Barbie and Ken?

Last September photos of Robbie and Gosling filming Barbie on Venice Beach in Los Angeles went viral. They were wearing incredible, brightly coloured Eighties-style sportswear in garish colours.

“We look like we’re laughing, having fun, but dying on the inside,” said Robbie on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “I was like, ‘This is the most humiliating moment of my life.’ So embarrassed.”

In 2019, speaking to Variety, Robbie said that the Barbie movie was going to make people feel good: “I think it’s a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger kids.”

Meanwhile, in July Gosling said, “I can’t wait for people to see the film... it’s not what you expect.”

He joked to Entertainment Tonight, “Ken’s got no money, he’s got no job, he’s got no car, he’s got no house, he’s going through some stuff.”

Speaking to Variety the same month, Gosling said seeing the Ken wardrobe and his costume, “was amazing... I felt seen, I felt like I was seeing myself.

“This has been coming my whole life.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.