The filmmaker had plans for Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan to appear in cameos.

By Morgan Cormack

Published: Tuesday, 11 July 2023 at 12:00 am


As if the Barbie movie pandemonium couldn’t get any more exciting, it’s now been revealed that even more stars were previously attached to star in the upcoming film.

As we patiently count down the days till Barbie lands on the big screen, director Greta Gerwig has revealed that her usual ensemble actors, Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan, were originally supposed to be in Barbie.

Speaking in an interview with CinemaBlend, Gerwig revealed that she had originally intended for Chalamet and Ronan to appear in the Barbie film in what she labelled “speciality cameos”.

She explained that Ronan was unable to participate in the star-studded film because of her own production schedule, involving starring in and producing The Outrun – the screen adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s 2016 memoir.

In the interview, Gerwig said: “Well, it was always going to have to be like a sort of smaller thing because she was actually producing at the time, which I am so proud of her for. And of course, it’s brilliant. But it was going to be a specialty cameo.

“I was also going to do a specialty cameo with Timmy. 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. I mean, I’m not their mom, but I sort of feel like their mom.”

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Gerwig of course directed Little Women and Lady Bird, both films which saw Ronan and Chalamet star, so it’s natural that the director wanted the pair back. Alas, it just didn’t work out this time.

It does seem as though Ronan was going to be a whole other Barbie, though, only adding to the Barbie character line-up that includes Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Alexandra Shipp, Kate McKinnon and Hari Nef.

Previously chatting to People last year, Ronan spoke about the Barbie possibility, saying: “I was supposed to do a cameo because I live in London and they were [filming] there. There was a whole character I was going to play – another Barbie. I was gutted I couldn’t do it.”

Although Ronan and Chalamet would have been stellar additions to the movie, it’s safe to say that Barbie is drumming up more than enough fanfare anyway.

The new film is set to land on our screens this July and reactions to the film so far have ranged from excited to stating it’s one of the best films of the year.