Simu Liu promises”Barbiewill shed the stereotypical beauty standards long perpetuated by doll brands.

The next film, co-written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, and while the duo (featuring Gosling’s bleached blonde locks) are classic images of Mattel-made perfection, they’re just two of the many versions of Barbies and Kens in the “Barbie” universe.

Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Hari Nef, Nicola Coughlan and Emerald Fennell are also part of the massive cast.

“I vividly remember some of our large complex dance sequences, Greta was very, very conscientious about who she cast. We were able to cast people of different shapes, sizes and abilities to participate in this dance – all under this message: You don’t have to be blonde, whiteor X, Y, Z in order to embody what it means to be a Barbie or a Ken,” Liu said at the 2022 Unforgettable Gala honoring Asian artists and entertainment industry leaders (via vanity lounge).

According to Liu, the film is “really about finding your inner beauty and owning that part of yourself and being the best possible version of you.”

“I will say going on set, I was never isolated. I felt like I was going to work every day with a cast that really celebrated themselves and each other’s differences, little it didn’t matter where we were from,” Liu said of her work with Oscar nominee Gerwig. “I think when you watch the movie, you’ll see that reflected on the screen.”

Director Gerwig previously revealed that she initially thought making a Barbie movie would be “career-ending”, but said Mattel had proven to be an “incredible partner” during production.

“They gave us such confidence and freedom, and I think that’s incredibly rare,” the “Little Women” director said during an episode of Podcast “At Your Service” by Dua Lipa. “Whatever we wanted to be, they didn’t try to micromanage it.”

For all the details on “Barbie”, click on here.

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