If you’ve been online at all the past few weeks there’s a good chance you’ve been living in a Barbie (2023) world. Photos from the set of Greta Gerwig‘s highly anticipated Barbie film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling have begun sweeping the internet, with each photo provoking more intrigue than the last. Why is Barbie dressed in a cowgirl outfit? Why is she on rollerblades with Ken? And why is Will Ferrell on roller blades potentially chasing them? While we may have to wait until next summer to experience the Barbie movie in all its glory, no one can stop us from feasting our eyes on the set photos and letting our imagination run wild with questions about what Gerwig is hiding in her Barbie dream house.
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Lets start with this pink outfit that can only be described as Kacey Musgraves meets Mattel. As of now, it’s unclear why Barbie is wearing hot Bell Bottoms and sporting a matching bandana around her neck—is her dream house on a ranch? Is she an aspiring country artist in the film? Does she sing a duet with Ken, who’s been spotted in a matching black country western outfit? Even if Barbie and Ken are not aspiring country singers in the film, here’s hoping this look means that Musgraves—who famously did Barbie cosplay at the 2019 Met Gala—might get a song on the album.
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Meanwhile rollerblading was probably a breeze for Robbie, who earned an Oscar nomination for playing figure skater Tony Harding in I, Tonya. But that only leads to more questions: Does Margot Robbie have it in her rider that she has to skate in all of her films? Also, where is Barbie traveling by roller blade? Is her pink convertible in the shop? In any case, we love to see that Barbie is wearing appropriate knee and elbow pads—safety first!
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Ryan Gosling also laced up the roller blades and went for a skate in Venice, California. Sporting a platinum blonde ’do, Gosling’s Ken is decked out in a matching ensemble to Barbie, plus a neon fanny pack. Given his slick moves on The Mickey Mouse Club, Gosling is also probably coordinated enough to handle the roller blades. Still, questions abound. Is Ken tagging along or is he leading the way? Why is he only wearing knee pads and no elbow pads? Also, what’s he carrying in his little fanny pack?
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Gosling isn’t the only man to strap on a pair of roller blades. Set photos from the same day of shooting show Will Ferrell dressed in a black suit with a pink shirt and tie leading a group of suits also rollerblading. While plot details are scant, it’s been reported that Ferrell is starring as the CEO of a toy company. Whether that toy company is Mattel is anyone’s guess, but the pink shirt and tie suggest that it might be. Are Barbie and Ken trying to escape the clutches of their evil corporate toy overlord? Is Ferrell in hot pursuit of Barbie and Ken? Who are those goonish men in suits behind him? Is Ferrell’s toy company trying to steal Barbie’s IP? Only one person knows for sure.
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And that’s Greta Gerwig, who directs the film and co-wrote it with her partner Noah Baumbach. A hands-on director, shots have leaked of Gerwig wearing a pink jumpsuit, channeling the Mattel action figure while behind the camera. Here, she’s sporting a black jumpsuit (but still has pink headphones) and straw sun hat as she chats with Ferrell in between takes. Is Gerwig dressed more like Ferrell’s character than Barbie because the scene being filmed is more about Ferrell?What direction is she giving Ferrell? More camp or less camp? And how long has Gerwig owned an Apple watch? We won’t know for sure until Barbie hits theaters on July 21, 2023.