Last-Minute Zoom Call Sealed Michael Cera’s Role in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Blockbuster

Michael Cera’s portrayal of the unique and awkward character Allan in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster “Barbie” movie almost didn’t happen if not for a spontaneous Zoom call with the director. In a pre-strike interview with GQ, Cera revealed that his manager had initially dismissed the opportunity, assuming he wouldn’t want to travel to London for filming.

However, Cera’s interest was piqued, prompting him to take the initiative. “I somehow got Greta’s email address, I think through a common friend of ours, and I emailed her like, ‘Can I be in it? Can I do that part?’” Cera said. “And she was like, ‘Let’s get on a Zoom right now. Here’s a Zoom link, I’ll be on there for the next hour.’ So she was just hanging out on the Zoom, like, ‘Click the link whenever you’re ready.’ And then we talked about it, and it just all happened really fast from there.”

In “Barbie,” Cera plays Allan, an introverted and short-lived companion of Ken. Despite the abundance of Ken variations, Allan remains one-of-a-kind. Cera explained Allan’s character as someone who lacks a sense of belonging in the world.

As for why Mattel discontinued the Allan doll, Cera shared that it wasn’t popular in the market. “It just wasn’t selling. The world just didn’t need for Ken to have a friend… Barbie is good, we can get a lot more Barbies in here, and friends of hers. But we’ve got Ken, and we don’t need to go deeper in that direction. So Allan fell by the wayside a little bit.”

“Barbie” has recently achieved a significant milestone, surpassing Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” as Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing domestic release, accumulating over $537 million in the U.S. and Canada. The movie has globally earned more than $1.2 billion and has maintained its position as the top-grossing film for four consecutive weeks.

Watch Michael Cera’s full interview with GQ