The 2023 phenomenon Barbie had many different iconic cameos, but some potential stars, unfortunately, missed out on appearing in the movie. Directed by Greta Gerwig, the movie sees the iconic doll, Barbie, questioning her place in the world and setting out to reality to find where she truly belongs. Meanwhile, Ken becomes influenced by the ideas of patriarchy and decides to bring it back to Barbieland, which causes intense changes for everybody.
The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $1.4 billion at the box office and receiving multiple accolades, including 8 Academy Award nominations and 2 Golden Globe Awards. Stars who had iconic cameos in the movie include John Cena, Kate McKinnon, and Dua Lipa. However, some notable stars missed out on appearing in the blockbuster, and, arguably, their appearances would have made Barbie even more spectacular to watch.
The Barbie Movie Cast & Character Guide
Led by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the Barbie movie’s cast is full of A-list actors playing either toy-based characters or original creations.
1 Saoirse Ronan
Irish actress, Saoirse Ronan has worked with director Greta Gerwig twice before throughout her career, having starred as the lead role in Lady Bird (2017) and as Jo March in Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women (2019). Both movies saw Ronan receive Oscar nominations for her performances. Gerwig approached Ronan for a potential cameo appearance in Barbie, but scheduling conflicts with The Outrun meant that Ronan had to turn it down.
Saoirse Ronan revealed that had she been available, she was going to be working alongside Kate McKinnon, who played Weird Barbie, and expressed her disappointment that she couldn’t appear in the movie (via Vulture). A cameo in Barbie would have potentially paid homage to Ronan’s friendship with the director. Given their previous success working together, it is disappointing that Ronan and Gerwig couldn’t reunite a third time for this movie.
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2 Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet has also collaborated with Greta Gerwig on previous occasions. He starred as Kyle Schiebe in Lady Bird and as Theodore ‘Laurie’ Laurence in Little Women. Greta Gerwig had also hoped that Chalamet would make a cameo appearance in Barbie, but due to scheduling conflicts with Wonka, this plan never came into fruition.
Gerwig later expressed her disappointment that Chalamet wasn’t available to appear in the movie (via Variety). Had he been able to accept, he would have collaborated with the director and close friend, Saoirse Ronan, for a third time, which many viewers felt was a missed opportunity for Barbie. Chalamet later visited the set of Barbie, in London and expressed his regret that he didn’t appear in the movie.
3 Ben Affleck
Among the different Barbies and Kens that live in Barbieland, there is also Allan, Ken’s best friend, played by Michael Cera. While he may be the only doll without any multiples, Allan does have his moments, including his scene where he fights construction workers at the entrance of Barbieland. However, Cera shockingly revealed that this wasn’t the original plan for the iconic scene.
Cera revealed that Ben Affleck was due to have a cameo in the movie, and it was actually going to be him who fought the construction workers. At the time, however, Affleck was working on the set of Air, where he served as both actor and director, which meant he couldn’t accept his role in Barbie. This allowed Cera’s Allan to step up and show off his fighting skills, but the scene would certainly have been very different, had Affleck been available for the role.
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4 Bowen Yang
Barbie brought a great sense of Kenergy to the story, thanks to the multiple Kens who appeared, led by Ryan Gosling’s Beach Ken. In an interview, casting directors Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan revealed that there were several actors who they wanted to be in the Kensemble (via Vanity Fair). Comedian and actor, Bowen Yang was approached to appear but, he was forced to turn down the role due to his ongoing commitment to Saturday Night Live.
Bowen Yang is arguably one of the most popular cast members of Saturday Night Live, thanks to his comedic delivery and memorable skits; he has received 3 Emmy Nominations for his work on the show. As seen with his memorable characters on the show, there is no doubt that Yang could have potentially brought an extra sense of comedy to the movie as part of the Kensemble.
5 Dan Levy
Schitt’s Creek star, Dan Levy, was also approached by Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan to appear as part of the Kensemble. However, he revealed that scheduling conflicts with other projects forced him to turn down the opportunity. Levy admitted that he tried to make it work, as he wanted to work with Greta Gerwig, but, he was unable to.
Levy later admitted that he regrets having to turn down the cameo in Barbie and that it was a tough day when he was forced to decline the role (via People). It was a missed opportunity for both him and those who watched his comedic and dramatic performances throughout his time on Schitt’s Creek. There is no doubt that Levy would have been one of the stand-out Kens, had been available.
6 Ben Platt
Casting directors, Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan revealed that they also approached Ben Platt to appear as a Ken in the movie. Platt, best known for originating the role of Evan Hansen in the musical Dear Evan Hansen, expressed interest in the offer. However, Ben Platt became one of several actors who had to turn down the cameo for various reasons.
Barbie was mainly filmed in the United Kingdom, in 2022. COVID-19 restrictions at the time required the cast to stay in London for three months for filming. The protocols in place resulted in Platt being forced to turn down the role as he wasn’t able to travel to London for the movie (via Entertainment Weekly). Ben Platt has shown his skills in singing and dancing through his musical performances; he would have given a memorable performance if he’d been able to cameo as Ken.
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7 Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff is best known for his work in Glee and Frozen and for originating the role of Melchior in the musical, Spring Awakening. He has received multiple nominations for his works in the musicals Hamilton and Little Shop of Horrors. He was among several actors approached for an appearance in Barbie.
Casting directors, Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan revealed that Jonathan Groff was the first choice to play the role of Allan in the movie. In an interview, Jones revealed that Groff sent an email, admitting that he couldn’t play Allan, despite liking the script (via Vanity Fair). The role was ultimately given to Michael Cera, who certainly stole the show with his performance, but one wonders how differently Allan would have been portrayed had Groff accepted the role.
8 Luke Macfarlane
Canadian actor Luke Macfarlane is best known for his roles in the TV series Brothers & Sisters and the Christmas movie, Single All The Way. He was offered a role as part of the Kensemble in Barbie. But he revealed that he was forced to turn it down in favor of another role.
At the time Macfarlane was offered the cameo in Barbie, he was offered the lead role of Aaron Sheperd in the romantic comedy Bros. His schedule wouldn’t allow him to work on both movies; he ultimately chose the lead in Bros over his cameo in Barbie (via Hollywood Reporter). Macfarlane admitted that it was a difficult decision to make, and he wished he could have been able to do both movies; it would have been interesting to see how he would have looked as part of the Kensemble.
9 Matt Bomer
Matt Bomer was one of several actors who auditioned to appear in Barbie. While he was successful, Bomer ultimately changed his mind and decided not to accept a part in the movie. He later explained that the filming schedule of Barbie and other projects would have resulted in him spending at least a year away from his family; he decided to prioritize spending time with his family and turned down the movie (via Variety).
While Bomer doesn’t regret his decision, it’s disappointing, considering the way he originally auditioned. For his audition tape, Bomer dressed himself as four different Kens and recorded dialogue as each one. It would have been fun to see which one of the Kens that Matt Bomer would have become, had he chosen to appear in Barbie.
Sources: Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, Vanity Fair, Hollywood Reporter, Variety
Barbie
- Release Date
- July 21, 2023
- Director
- Greta Gerwig
- Cast
- Margot Robbie , Ryan Gosling , Simu Liu , Ariana Greenblatt , Helen Mirren , Nicola Coughlan , John Cena , Will Ferrell , Ritu Arya , Michael Cera , America Ferrera , Alexandra Shipp , Kate McKinnon
- Runtime
- 114 Minutes
- Writers
- Noah Baumbach , Greta Gerwig
- Budget
- $100 Million
- Studio(s)
- LuckyChap Entertainment , Mattel Films , Heyday Films
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Where To Stream
- Max
https://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseastewart/luke-macfarlane-barbie-role-turned-down
