Helen Mirren has opened up about Olivia Colman’s hilarious Barbie cameo that ended up on the cutting room floor.
Back in July 2023, movie enthusiasts were finally treated to the highly anticipated fantasy comedy.
Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film follows a “stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) who resides in Barbie Land, a matriarchal society where women are self-sufficient and occupy all positions of power.
After Barbie begins to worry about her mortality, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery into the real world – assisted by her “stereotypical” himbo boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling).
Following its release, Barbie received universal acclaim from viewers and critics for its clever script, empowering feminist message and Robbie’s performance as the titular character.
In addition to the aforementioned praises, the record-breaking film was lauded for its diverse cast, which included America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Sharon Rooney, Dua Lipa, and the legendary Mirren, who played the film’s narrator.
While Barbie was jam-packed with A-list stars, there were some other big-name talents that were unfortunately cut from the final product, like Heartstopper star Colman.
During a recent interview with Variety, Mirren revealed that The Crown actor was set to appear alongside her as a second narrator.
“It was a very funny scene with Olivia Colman sort of playing drunk and us clashing about who is the real grande dame of British actresses,” she explained.
“She comes in and tries to take over the role of the Narrator and I had to fight her off.”
Colman’s cameo wasn’t the only scene that didn’t make into Barbie.
During a July interview with Cinemablend, Gerwig revealed that Call Me By Your Name’s Timotheé Chalamet and Brooklyn’s Saoirse Ronan were meant to appear in the film but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts.
“Both of them couldn’t do it, and I was so annoyed. But I love them so much. But it felt like doing something without my children,” she told the news outlet. “I mean, I’m not their mom, but I sort of feel like their mom.”
Chalamet and Ronan have starred in Gerwig’s other critically acclaimed projects, Lady Bird and Little Women.
Lastly, Fellow Travelers star Matt Bomer was another A-list actor who almost appeared in the film.
“I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens – and I dressed differently for all of them,” he told Variety in November 2023.
“I recorded the lines of the other person’s dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond.”
Bomer went on to say that he ultimately walked away from the opportunity because he didn’t want to spend an extended time away from his husband and two children.
Here’s hoping Gerwig releases an extended cut of Barbie featuring Colman’s cameo.
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