Mattel President Flew to London to Argue With Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig Over an Off-Brand ‘Barbie’ Scene: ‘The Nuance Isn’t There’ on the Page

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director A new cover story from Time magazine on the making of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” reveals that Mattel president and COO Richard Dickson flew to the movie’s London set at one point during production to argue with Gerwig and lead actor Margot Robbie about one scene he believed was off-brand for the company.

The director and her star convinced Dickson to keep the scene in the film by performing it for him live on set. “When you look on the page, the nuance isn’t there, the delivery isn’t there,” Robbie said.

While the scene in question was not disclosed, Dickson’s concern is further proof that the upcoming “Barbie” movie isn’t just a sanitized love letter to the famous doll.

As the film’s trailer says point blank: “If you love Barbie, this movie is for you. If you hate Barbie, this movie is for you.” When Robbie first met Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz in an attempt for her production company, LuckyChap, to get the rights to Barbie, she told the executive that her idea for a “Barbie” movie included both on-brand and off-brand topics. “In that very first meeting, we impressed upon Ynon we are going to honor the legacy of your brand, but if we don’t acknowledge certain things—if we don’t say it, someone else is going to say it,” Robbie said. “So you might as well be a part of that conversation.” Part of the vision was ensuring that Robbie was not the only Barbie in the movie.