Margot Robbie Responds to Fan Reaction to ‘Barbie’ Oscar Nominations

Margot Robbie is feeling “blessed” even as fans of Barbie lament her lack of Lead Actress Oscar nomination as well as director Greta Gerwig’s Academy snub. Robbie, who produced and starred in Barbie, responded to the conversation surrounding the film’s Oscar nominations during a panel at a special SAG screening on Tuesday night, calling it a cultural phenomenon, as per Deadline,

“There’s no way to feel sad when you know you’re this blessed,” Robbie told attendees when asked about the Oscar nomination discourse. “Obviously I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is. But it’s been an incredible year for all the films.” 

She added that she is “beyond ecstatic” for the eight Academy Award nominations Barbie did net, which include Best Picture, Supporting Actress for America Ferrera; Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling, Costume Design, Production Design and Best Adapted Screenplay for Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. “Everyone getting the nods that they’ve had is just incredible, and the Best Picture nod,” Robbie noted.

Barbie made history after its release this summer as the only billion-dollar film directed solely by a woman, bringing home $1.4 billion worldwide. Robbie reflected on the cultural impact of Barbie Tuesday, saying, “I just suspect it’s bigger than us. It’s bigger than this movie, it’s bigger than our industry.”

“We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact,” she continued. “And it’s already done that, and some, way more than we ever dreamed it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this.”

Robbie also shared a hilarious story of overhearing a group of men on a bachelor party in Scotland discussing the film. “It was just truly fascinating,” she remembered. “There were people who at the table who refused to see the Barbie movie. One guy was like, ‘Dude, it is a cultural moment, don’t you want to be a part of culture?’ And the other guy was like, ‘I’ll never see it,’ and by the end he did want to see it. It was a whole thing.”

She continued of the movie’s impact, “I’ve never been a part of something like this. Not like this. I’ve done comic book stuff and that gets a big reaction, but this felt very different. It still feels very different. And I can’t think of a time when a movie’s had this effect on culture. And it’s amazing to be in the eye of the storm.”