Barbara Handler, Barbie creator Ruth Handler's daughter and the inspiration behind the world's most famous doll, isn't the "beautiful" old woman Margot Robbie encounters in "Barbie," despite what you may have read online.
Some news reports and social media posts have speculated that Barbara appears in the movie as the old woman with whom Robbie's character shares a bench. In the scene, Barbie tells the woman that she's beautiful, to which she offers the punchy reply that she is well aware of her beauty.
Barbie's new bench-mate is actually played by Ann Roth, an Oscar-winning costume designer.
"Barbie" director Greta Gerwig told The New York Times that she cast the 91-year-old designer, whom she considers a friend, because she needed someone older for the small scene.
"I have three real friends, not pretend friends, who are now 91, 90, and 91," Gerwig said.
The costume designer has worked on several major movies such as "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," "The English Patient," and the recent drama, "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
It doesn't appear that Barbara is involved in the movie at all, though she did give it her stamp of approval. (Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to a comment request about Barbara's level of involvement.)
The movie does, however, pay homage to the famous doll's history, and its creator, with Rhea Perlman playing Ruth Handler, Barbara's mom.
But back to the bench scene, Gerwig told People that she had to fight to keep it in the movie, and described it as the "heart" of "Barbie."
"I love that scene so much," Gerwig said to the publication. "The way Margot plays that moment is so gentle and so unforced."
She continued: "It's a cul-de-sac of a moment, in a way — it doesn't lead anywhere. And in early cuts, looking at the movie, it was suggested, 'Well, you could cut it. And actually, the story would move on just the same.' And I said, 'If I cut the scene, I don't know what this movie is about.'"
