Barbie director Greta Gerwig is a big fan of Sylvester Stallone. So much so, that she featured multiple pictures of the actor and filmmaker in Barbie. As Ken (Ryan Gosling) ventures away from Barbie Land with Barbie (Margot Robbie), he stumbles across pictures of Stallone, causing an identity crisis. Ken begins to question what a “real man” is and, in an effort to look more dominant, he starts to dress like a 1970s Stallone. In a recent interview with Uproxx, Gerwig discussed how she landed on Stallone’s 1970s look for Ken and her love for the actor and the Rocky film franchise.
According to Gerwig, taking style cues from Stallone was born from conversations she shared with Gosling:
“So it was a really early thing, actually. When Ryan Gosling and I were texting a lot, we kind of both stumbled upon our mutual love of Sly Stallone. And then we were talking about his look in the ‘70s and how terrific it was. And he really adorned himself as a man. And we thought, “Well, that’s a good place to start.” I mean, there are just sort of fabulous images of him, particularly in the Rockys.”
Gerwig goes on to speak enthusiastically about her love for the Rocky films, saying that “the idea that Rocky II just starts immediately where Rocky ends is so amazing.” So does this mean that Gerwig could possibly start a Barbie sequel (if one is made) right where the first film ended? She jokes:
“No, it’s going to start with her [Barbie] and Sylvester Stallone.”
Gerwig also says there’s a possibility that Stallone may just direct a sequel himself. That, she says, “would be an honor. It would be such an honor.”
Greta Gerwig Calls Barbie ‘A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity’
As was expected, Gerwig’s Barbie has been a massive hit since Friday’s premiere. The film grossed US$377 million worldwide during opening weekend, making it the biggest debut in history for a woman-directed film. Barbie has ruffled some feathers, with some critiquing the film’s “wokeness.” The film also explores the different ways that the iconic doll has been viewed throughout history, which has not always been positive. This has left some wondering how Gerwig was able to get a green light from Mattel to make the film:
“Well, the truth is, I am not totally sure how this happened and how they let me do this. It was some amazing confluence of events and a ripple in the universe that allowed it to slip through. I think that the script that Noah [Baumbach, co-writer and husband] and I originally turned in is very like the movie you see. But it was so wild and so anarchic that I almost think it was the sense of, ‘I don’t even know where to start.’ I think it created a sense of maybe they instantly felt like, ‘Since we can’t figure out where to start with this, maybe she should just make it. So the truth is, I don’t know.But there were certainly meetings and different things. But at the end of the day, it all happened. And I think there were definitely moments on set where with everyone in the cast, it was a feeling of, ‘Oh, we’ve got to drive it like we stole it because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if anybody realizes that we’re doing this, maybe they’ll make us stop,'” Gerwig says.