Anne Hathaway Feels ‘Lucky’ Her ‘Barbie’ Movie Didn’t Get Made, Because Greta Gerwig’s Was ‘the Best Possible Version’
Christian Zilko
After a 2023 dominated by all things “Barbie,” it’s hard to imagine Greta Gerwig‘s film coming out in any other year. But the beloved Mattel toy property has long been a target of Hollywood studios, with everyone from Amy Schumer and Diablo Cody to Anne Hathaway attaching themselves to work on “Barbie” movies over the past decade.
In a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Hathaway reflected on the iconic doll’s road to the big screen. She revealed that she has no hard feelings about Robbie ultimately landing the role over her, and said that she’s actually grateful that her version didn’t materialize.
“What’s so exciting about what Greta and Margot and that phenomenal team [did] is they hit a bullseye,” Hathaway said. “The bullseye caused the entire world to reach this level of ecstasy. Now imagine that version. that much energy, that much anticipation, that much emotion… but it’s not the right version. I actually think of it as a lucky thing.”
Hathaway went on to heap praise on “Barbie,” saying that Gerwig and Robbie’s film was able to convey a more serious message than her iteration would have.
“Margot is sublime,” she said. “What she is doing as a creative person and a producer is so exciting and inspiring. The mythic giants they toppled with [‘Barbie’] that have kept certain narratives in place that have not allowed opportunities to develop for so many people… they ran straight through it! Just as a cinemagoer and as a woman in Hollywood since I was a kid, I’m thrilled by the development. If I believed that the version I was attached to could have done that, I might feel differently about it, but I genuinely think their film was the best possible version. It’s easy just to be thrilled and happy [for them]. I love watching women kill it. To do so well, so undeniably that they actually had to write new records… come on! I think it will probably make things better.”
