Anne Hathaway reveals why she was ‘thrilled’ Margot Robbie took Barbie role instead of her

“They hit a bullseye,” Hathaway said

Anne Hathaway has revealed she was glad her Barbie movie did not make it to the silver screen, admitting that Greta Gerwig’s and Margot Robbie’s movie was the “best possible version” of it.

“They hit a bullseye,” Hathaway told the ‘Happy, Sad, Confused’ podcast. “And the bullseye allowed the world to like, reach this level of ecstasy.”

When Amy Schumer dropped out in 2017 due to scheduling conflicts, Hathaway agreed to step up and take on the role of Barbie. However, the cast continued to change until Robbie was ultimately chosen as the star of the film – and Greta Gerwig replaced Alethea Jones as director. Hathaway described it as a “lucky thing” Robbie landed the role in the end.

“Now imagine that version, that much energy, that much anticipation, that much emotion, but it’s not the right version,” she added.

With ticket sales for Barbie exceeding £1.1 billion globally - and the movie proving the blockbuster hit of 2023 - Hathaway’s opinion is well backed-up.

Off-camera: Anne Hathaway is directed by William Oldroyd on the set of ‘Eileen' (Jeong Park)

Praising Robbie’s treatment of the film’s narrative, and the creative opportunities that arose from it, Hathaway said: “I genuinely think theirs was the best possible version, and so, it’s actually very easy to just, be thrilled!”

Released on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the two films sparked the social media sensation known as “Barbenheimer”, which boosted the revenues of both films after many cinemagoers treated it as a double-feature event.

Given cinema suffered massively during the pandemic – with revenue falling by approximately 90 per cent in 2020 – global ticket sales for Barbie and Oppenheimer bringing in nearly $2 billion in revenue, boosting box office recovery after prolonged periods of closure due to Covid.

“I’m also a person who loves watching women kill it. I just do, I just love it,” continued Hathaway. “And also, to do so well so undeniably that they actually had to like, write new records!”