Summary

• The Barbie cast consists of famous actors, including Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who bring zany and satirically exaggerated characters to life.
• The cast features both iconic movie stars and promi-and-coming talents, all of whom have proven their mettle with acclaimed performances.
• Each actor in the Barbie cast has an impressive resume, with Margot Robbie taking on the lead role of Barbie and serving as one of the movie's producers.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Barbie!The Barbie became the highest-grossing movie of 2023 while also earning eight Oscar nominations. Part of its success was surely due to the incredible cast who brought Barbie to life.

The Barbie cast is incredibly star-studded, full of hugely talented actors either playing characters based on existing dolls or original characters created specifically for the toy adaptation. Everyone who plays a variation of Barbie or a variation of Ken in the movie has plenty of recognizable roles on their resume. The Barbie cast features iconic movie stars such as Will Ferrell and Helen Mirren as well as promi-and-coming talents like Emma Mackey and Simu Liu. Every one of these actors in the Barbie cast has proven their mettle with highly acclaimed performances in hit projects.

Margot Robbie As Barbie

Stereotypical Barbie Who Is Going Through An Existential Crisis

Margot Robbie plays Barbie in the Barbie cast, but is differentiated from the rest of the Barbies by being the "Stereotypical Barbie" — the default blonde doll everyone imagines when they think of the name (a key point in the plot). In addition to taking on the titular role, Margot Robbie was also one of the movie's producers. The ineffable lead of the Barbie cast, Robbie's Barbie is the quintessential model for all Barbie dolls, which is all the more troubling to everyone as she begins to question her existence, which leads her on an adventure into the real world.

Robbie started as a cast member on the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours before transitioning to film with her breakthrough role as Naomi in Martin Scorsese’s corporate crime epic The Wolf of Wall Street. She has since become an A-list star with such leading roles as Harley Quinn in the DC Extended Universe, Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and controversial figure skater Tonya Harding in the darkly comedic biopic I, Tonya, which earned her the first of her two Oscar nominations.

Ryan Gosling As Ken

The Self-Centered Leader Of The Kens With A Fragile Ego

Ryan Gosling's Barbie character is Ken, Barbie's boyfriend — although his feelings for her are somewhat unreturned. Specifically, Gosling is playing the version of Ken who follows Margot Robbie's Barbie into the real world (with his rollerblades packed ready, of course). Though a dedicated boyfriend, Ken is clearly not the brightest doll around and invites himself along on Barbie's quest for self-discovery. On the way, he discovers what Patriarchy is, a knowledge that has disastrous consequences for Barbieland. Gosling earned an Oscar nomination for Best ing Actor for his performance.

Gosling has worked on both big-budget blockbusters and smaller indie films. He first rose to stardom with the lead role of Noah Calhoun in the romantic tragedy The Notebook. The two-time Oscar-nominated actor gained further critical acclaim with his turn as The Driver in the neo-noir action drama Drive. Gosling went on to play jazz pianist Sebastian Wilder in the glitzy musical romance La La Land, Officer K in the sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049, Jared Vennett in The Big Short, and astronaut Neil Armstrong in the biopic First Man.

America Ferrera As Gloria

A Mattel Employee With A Connection To Robbie's Barbie

America Ferrera plays Gloria in the Barbie cast, one of the few humans in the film. Gloria is a Mattel employee whose daughter Sasha is the owner of Robbie's Barbie, and Barbie finds out that it was Gloria was who prompted her existential crisis and thinned the barrier between Barbieland and the Real World. She inevitably teams up with Barbie and ends up in Barbieland. Ferrera earned an Oscar nomination for Best ing Actress for her Barbie performance.

Ferrera got her start on the screen playing Ana Garcia in Real Women Have Curves, but got her big break when she landed the lead role of Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty. She has since headlined Superstore and voiced Astrid in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. Ferrera can soon be seen in the dramedy Dumb Money.

Ariana Greenblatt As Sasha

Gloria's Opinionated Young Daughter

Ariana Greenblatt s the Barbie cast as Sasha, Gloria's preteen daughter who owns Margot Robbie's Barbie. When Barbie seeks to find her owner, she's quite surprised by Sasha's contrarian attitude toward her. Nevertheless, Sasha teams up with Gloria and Barbie on her doll's mission, teaching Barbie some valuable lessons.

Greenblatt first appeared on the screen as Raina in the Disney Channel series Liv and Maddie. She has played younger versions of two beloved heroes in Star Wars and the MCU, appearing as younger Ahsoka Tano in Ahsoka and as young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War. Greenblatt voices Tabitha in the Boss Baby animated movie franchise and will soon star as Tiny Tina in the Borderlands movie adaptation.

Michael Cera As Allan

Ken's Forgotten Friend

Michael Cera plays Allan in the Barbie cast, Ken's tagalong buddy. His Barbie movie character poster bears the tagline, “There’s only one Allan,” and the fact that he's the only Allan in a world of Kens and Barbies is incredibly confusing — especially for Allan himself. While the Kens all get seduced by the "patriarchy", Allan rejects the toxic shift and attempts to escape Barbieland.

Cera got his start with the role of George Michael Bluth in Arrested Development. He went on to play film roles like Evan in Superbad, Paulie Bleeker in Juno, the eponymous character in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and a fictionalized version of himself in This is the End. Cera has also appeared in three Kenneth Lonergan plays on Broadway: This is Our Youth, The Waverly Gallery, and Lobby Hero, which earned him a Tony nomination.

Will Ferrell As The CEO Of Mattel

The Toy Company Boss

Will Ferrell s the Barbie cast as the CEO of the toy company that produces Barbies and Ken dolls. Ferrell's character is something of a villain in the movie as he wants to capture Barbie when she appears in the real world, although by the finale his motives are revealed to be somewhat more nuanced (even though his character's personality is still completely ridiculous in almost every conceivable way).

Ferrell was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002 and has since played lead roles in movies like Buddy in Elf and Frank “The Tank” in Old School. In addition to playing the title characters in Anchorman and Talladega Nights, Ferrell also co-wrote their scripts with director Adam McKay. Ferrell voiced the title character in Megamind and the villainous Lord Business in The Lego Movie franchise.

Emerald Fennell As Midge

Barbie's Pregnant Friend

Emerald Fennell's Barbie character is Midge, a controversial doll Mattel discontinued that was of Barbie's pregnant best friend. Fennell previously played Mrs. Smythe-Willard in Albert Nobbs, Princess Merkalova in the 2012 adaptation of Anna Karenina, and Elsa in The Danish Girl. She also played Camilla Parker Bowles in The Crown seasons 3 and 4. In addition to her acting work, Emerald Fennell is a formidable talent behind the camera.

She received two Emmy nominations as the showrunner for Killing Eve season 2 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for her acclaimed thriller Promising Young Woman, which she also directed, and released her follow-up directorial effort with 2023's Saltburn.

Dua Lipa As Mermaid Barbie

A Mermaid Version Of Barbie

Popular musician Dua Lipa s the Barbie cast as Mermaid Barbie, only ever seen in the ocean of Barbieland. As a musician, Lipa has earned six Brit Awards, three Grammy Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, and two Guinness World Records. With more than 10 billion listens each, her records Dua Lipa and Future Nostalgia are the most-streamed albums by any female artist on Spotify. Her 2018 single “One Kiss” topped the music charts in the UK. Lipa’s role in the Barbie cast marks her acting debut but followed it up with a role in the spy comedy Argylle.

Issa Rae As President Barbie

The President Of Barbieland

Issa Rae plays President Barbie in the Barbie cast, the leader of Barbieland. Actress Issa Rae first gained recognition with her work on the YouTube web series Awkward Black Girl. This led to her co-creating, co-writing, and starring in her own HBO series, Insecure, for which she received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. On the big screen, Rae played April Ofrah in The Hate U Give and Mae Morton in The Photograph, and she voices Jessica Drew a.k.a. Spider-Woman in the animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. She also starred in the Netflix rom-com The Lovebirds as Leilani Brooks.

Rhea Perlman As Ruth Handler

The Creator Of Barbie

Storied actress Rhea Perlman plays Ruth Handler in the Barbie cast, a role that was kept relatively quiet prior to the release date. Ruth Handler is the inventor of Barbie. Robbie's Barbie gets some sage advice from Handler toward the end of the Barbie movie, permanently changing her character for the better.

Pearlman is best known for her iconic role as the tough-talking Carla on the long-running sitcom Cheers. She's had a number of memorable TV appearances and movie roles, playing Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda, Honey in Canadian Bacon, and Sally in I'll See You in My Dreams. She will soon appear in the short film Bloom as Ma. She recently made her long-awaited It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia starring her husband Danny DeVito.