After Barbie was released back in July 2023, rumors surfaced that the real Barbara Handler made a cameo in the film, but that wasn’t actually her in the movie.
She HAS shared her thoughts on the movie though!
For those who don’t know, businesswoman and inventor Ruth Handler is the woman who came up with the idea for the Barbie doll and she named the iconic character after her daughter.
Keep reading to find out more…
Ruth co-founded Mattel with her husband and served as the company’s first president.
It was rumored that Barbara played the older woman who chats with Barbie (Margot Robbie) on a bus stop bench in Santa Monica after she travels to the world. They have an emotional chat that becomes a sentimental moment and an incredibly important one for Barbie’s personal growth.
The scene was almost cut from the movie!
Director Greta Gerwig said that she is aware the scene doesn’t move the story along, but she feels it’s the heart of the movie.
“To me, this is the heart of the movie,” she told Rolling Stone. “The way Margot plays that moment is so gentle and so unforced. There’s the more outrageous elements in the movie that people say, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe Mattel let you do this,’ or, ‘I can’t believe Warner Bros. let you do this.’ But to me, the part that I can’t believe that is still in the movie is this little cul-de-sac that doesn’t lead anywhere — except for, it’s the heart of the movie.”
So, who is the woman on the bench? It’s costume designer Ann Roth.
And what has Barbara said about the movie?
Barbara told TMZ that she’s seen the trailer and thinks Margot‘s Barbie is great. She told them that she finds the trailer to be incredibly adorable, with Margot‘s voice particularly standing out to her. Barbara said that her mom Ruth probably could have never envisioned her creation being adapted into a Hollywood film, but believes that Ruth would be thrilled about it. She also noted that she personally has never went by Barbie as a nickname, and her brother Kenneth, doesn’t appreciate the connection to the doll either.
Here’s what we know so far about Barbie 2.
