Everyone is in this movie.
Greta Gerwig’s ode to the iconic plastic toy Barbie is fast approaching, and now we have new cast details to prove it.
Barbie revolves around the titular doll being booted out of Barbie Land for being less than perfect, and then embarking on a journey into the human world.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as THE Barbie and Ken – but they aren’t the only Barbies and Kens in town, with a number of renowned stars playing different versions of the dolls, each of whom embody one of the iconic toy’s various professions over the years.
New character posters (below) on the movie’s official Twitter account have unboxed all of the different Barbies and Kens that will appear in the film, from Issa Rae as President Barbie and Ritu Arya as journalist Barbie, to Ana Cruz Kayne as Supreme Court Justice Barbie.
There are plenty of Kens in the mix too, including Ncuti Gatwa and Simu Liu.
The new posters also reveal that Michael Cera and Emerald Fennell will be playing Alan and Midge, the best friends of Ken and Barbie, respectively, as well as giving fans a look at five human characters outside the dollbox and unveiling Helen Mirren as the movie’s narrator.
Meet our Barbies and Kens ✨#BarbieTheMovie pic.twitter.com/KO2pwszXNJ
— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) April 4, 2023
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by this sparkling pastel chaos, read on for everything you need to know about the cast and characters of Gerwig’s upcoming movie Barbie.
Barbie movie cast 2023: full list of stars
The full list of stars appearing in the upcoming movie is as follows:
- Margot Robbie as Barbie
- Ryan Gosling as Ken
- Will Ferrell as the CEO of the toy company
- Michael Cera As Allan
- Emerald Fennell As Midge
- Dua Lipa As Mermaid Barbie
- Issa Rae As President Barbie
- Jamie Demetriou as a toy company employee
- Helen Mirren as the narrator
- Connor Swindells as a toy company intern
- Emma Mackey as physicist Barbie
- Alexandra Shipp as writer Barbie
- Kate McKinnon as gymnast Barbie
- Ana Cruz Kayne as judge Barbie
- Ritu Arya as journalist Barbie
- Nicola Coughlan as diplomat Barbie
- Hari Nef as doctor Barbie
- Sharon Rooney as lawyer Barbie
- Simu Liu as a different Ken
- Scott Evans as a different Ken
- Ncuti Gatwa as a different Ken
- Kingsley Ben-Adir as a different Ken
- John Cena as TBC
- Marisa Abela as TBC
- America Ferrera as TBC
- Ariana Greenblatt as TBC
- Rhea Perlman as TBC
Read on for everything you need to know about the cast and where you might have seen them before.
Margot Robbie plays Barbie
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/06/barbie-margot-robbie-2023-0a28676.jpeg?quality=90&crop=187px%2C490px%2C1286px%2C857px&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Who is Barbie? The titular doll who is expelled from Barbie Land “for not being perfect enough”, leading to “an adventure in the real world” with her boyfriend, Ken.
What else has Margot Robbie starred in? The star shot to fame in the Australian soap Neighbours playing aspiring fashion designer Donna Freedman, before swapping Melbourne for Hollywood with her breakthrough role in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). She has since become a household name with roles in the first Suicide Squad, Focus, I Tonya, Mary Queen of Scots, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. More recently she appeared in the 2019 drama Bombshell, earning Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Glove Award nominations for her performance, and 2022 movie Babylon.
Ryan Gosling plays Ken
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/06/ryan-gosling-barbie-46d44b1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Who is Ken? The title character’s love interest. We’ve been given many sneak peeks of Gosling in character, complete with platinum blonde hair and a denim vest.
What else has Ryan Gosling starred in? Gosling first rose to fame as a child star on Disney Channel’s The Mickey Mouse Club and has since appeared in a wealth of big-budget blockbusters and indie films. His credits include The Notebook, Blade Runner 2049, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Big Short, The Nice Guys, and First Man.
Issa Rae plays President Barbie
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/04/Barbie-president-04f7089.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Who is President Barbie? Yep, you guessed it: she’s a version of Barbie that has been elected President.
What else has Issa Rae starred in? Rae first rose to fame due to her YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl. She went on to co-create, co-write and star in her own HBO series, Insecure, for which she bagged Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Her other credits include The Hate U Give and The Photograph.
Will Ferrell plays the CEO of the toy company
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/04/Will-Ferrell-in-Barbie-5645c4e.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C410" "\"\"")
Who is the CEO of the toy company? As you likely guessed, he’s in charge of a toy company – potentially one which manufactures Barbie dolls.
What else has Will Ferrell starred in? Ferrell was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002. He went on to bag lead roles in movies such as Buddy in Elf and Frank ‘The Tank’ in Old School. He has also played the title roles in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and voiced the title character in Megamind.
Michael Cera plays Allan
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/04/Barbie-Allen-8f61f3c-e1680692235760.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Who is Allan? Allan is Ken’s friend. His Barbie movie character poster includes the description: “There’s only one Allan.”
What else has Michael Cera been in? Fans might recognise Cera from TV shows such as Drunk History, Louie, Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Lemon, and Person to Person. He also voiced Robin in the Lego Batman movie.
Emerald Fennell plays Midge
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2019/11/Emerald-Fennell-plays-Camilla-Parker-Bowles-in-The-Crown-9696211.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
Who is Midge? Barbie’s best friend. Her character poster helpfully bears the tagline “She’s Midge”, so fans will have to wait for more details on this one.
What else has Emerald Fennell starred in? The Crown fans will recognise Fennell from her role as Camilla Parker Bowles. The actress has also appeared as Nurse Patsy Mount in Call the Midwife, with other acting credits including The Danish Girl, Anna Karenina, and Victoria, in which she portrayed Ada Lovelace.
Dua Lipa plays Mermaid Barbie
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2018/01/GettyImages-884898882-77774e9.jpg?quality=90&resize=608%2C413" "\"\"")
Who is Mermaid Barbie? All we know about Dua Lipa’s character is that she’s a mermaid version of Barbie with blue hair.
What else has Dua Lipa starred in? Barbie marks Dua Lipa’s acting debut. The musician has earned six BRIT Awards, three Grammy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and two Guinness World Records.
Barbie arrives in cinemas on Friday 21st July 2023. Visit our Film hub for more news and features or find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.