*Barbie spoilers ahead!*
Barbie (along with Oppenheimer) is finally in theatres, and fans can now experience the fun, colour, and surprising emotional depth of Margot Robbie as the legendary eponymous doll and Ryan Gosling as her boyfriend/accessory Ken.
This summer blockbuster picture, directed by Greta Gerwig, has been widely awaited by fans due to the antics of its massive publicity tour, as well as the detail and joy that appears to have gone into its development – and now its great reviews.
Along with that, Barbie has an epic cast of many Barbies, including Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Sharon Rooney, Emma Mackey, and Hari Nef, as well as Kens performed by Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Ncuti Gatwa.
Not to mention the different human parts played by actors such as America Ferrera and Will Ferrell.
However, if you thought that was the end of it, you’d be incorrect since the film keeps the shocks coming (did you know Matilda actor Rhea Perlman plays Barbie designer Ruth Handler?) with cameos and celebrity casting in lesser roles.
Let’s take a look…
Rob Brydon
Margot Robbie is a great fan of Gavin and Stacey, particularly Rob’s charming character Uncle Bryn, which the Welsh actor and comedian, 58, believes contributed to his funny appearance in Barbie.
‘I had a message a few years ago that Margot Robbie was a great Uncle Bryn fan and would I record a greeting for her birthday,’ he told Virgin Radio.
He went on to claim that he made the birthday video for her and that the time he spent on it may have earned him the Barbie cameo part.
‘I suppose maybe this bit is her way of saying thank you,’ he explained following his unexpected appearance at the film’s premiere.
He also revealed specifics regarding Margot Robbie’s unique birthday video: ‘I said, “Hello Margot. I’ve admired you in all of your flicks, and I’ll tell you why…”
So, in true Bryn fashion, we’d expect nothing less. But who is he playing?
In Barbie, Rob appears briefly in one scene as a real discontinued Ken doll – Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken.
Surprisingly, he was debuted in 2009 as part of the adult-targeted Barbie Collector Line, and his name alludes solely to the adorable dog he comes with, Sugar.
Dua Lipa
Many people may be surprised that Dua Lipa delivered one of the film’s hit songs – and its memorable soundtrack.
Dance The Night, which featured on the album among songs by Sam Smith, Billie Eilish, and Nicki Minaj, has thus far climbed at number 13 on the UK official charts – but did you know she also plays a character?
The 27-year-old musician has been awarded the honour of portraying Mermaid Barbie, who can be seen on character posters with gorgeous blue hair.
However, she also has pink hair, green hair, and so on since she plays every various form of the doll herself, blissfully living in Barbie Land in the waters off the coast.
Love Island’s Chris Taylor
We’ve all heard about Love Island‘s Tasha Ghouri’s almost-role in Barbie, but did you know that a Love Island star did appear in the film?
Chris Taylor, who participated on the programme in 2019 and then dated Maura Higgins for six months, has Margot herself to thank for his appearance in the film.
‘I know she’s got a secret account that follows Love Islanders, so hopefully she would have seen that,’ he told Cosmopolitan UK. ‘I saw her on the red carpet and I got to say a quick thank you, but I didn’t really get a chance to see her after that.’
Back in 2020, he and some fellow Love Island alumni got to meet famous show fan Margot at the Birds of Prey premiere, and apparently the big screen star was ‘gassed to see them’.
They were then invited to the after-party, where Chris had a more in-depth conversation with the’really down to earth and nice’ Suicide Squad actress.
A year and a half later, Warner Bros. contacted him, inviting him to audition for Barbie, and despite assuming he was a hoax, he was at the studio for wardrobe fittings six months later – but who does he play?
Chris’s role is in the middle of the film, where he briefly portrays one of Ken’s various personalities – his is an emcee.
John Cena
This is a remarkably star-studded appearance that has mostly gone unnoticed.
In fact, no public view of John in character was provided until the week of the film’s release in a behind-the-scenes featurette – many only knew he was in the picture after stopping the trailer on its credits page to attempt to absorb all of the names.
Not only is wrester-turned-actor John present in the film, but he also makes a memorable cameo as ‘Kenmaid’.
The diva appears briefly in a scene with a slew of other Barbies and Kens, flaunting gorgeous flowing blonde hair and a shell necklace.
He co-stars with Dua as the male Barbie mermaid, and we adore him for it.
Now, Nicola Coughlan did appear as a Barbie in all her sparkling finery in the fantastic character posters released in April.
However, so many were posted that we believe many people may have forgotten the Bridgerton star was cast as a Barbie.
The 36-year-old plays Diplomat Barbie, who is seen early in the film awarding Nobel Prizes to several of the Barbies.
She also reappears a few times later in Barbie Land as the film nears its conclusion.
Colin Firth (kind of)
Colin Firth is technically in the Barbie film!
At the very least, there is a well-known version of him…
It occurs during a section of the film that functions as a spoof trailer for a somewhat… depressed version of Barbie that would never make it to market, even if many fans could empathise – which is precisely the purpose of the joke.
During this, a clip from the much-loved 1995 BBC production of Pride and Prejudice with him as Mr Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet is played.
That’s how Colin Firth as Mr Darcy ended up in Barbie.
Marlon Brando (sort of)
Another surprise for the books is the appearance of late Hollywood legend Marlon Brando in the live-action Barbie film.
In the 1950s, the famed method actor was recognised for roles in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. He appears in a humorous moment at the conclusion of the film.
In the iconic ‘I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse’ sequence from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Ken is shown relishing his portrayal as Don Corleone.
In a playful nod to mansplaining, Ken is eager to wax poetic about his beloved film – and everything it represents – to Sharon Rooney and Emma Mackey’s Barbies.
Barbie (and Oppenheimer) is in cinemas now.
Source My Celebrity Life.
