Bondi Icebergs goes batty for Barbie as Margot Robbie and co-stars jet into Sydney
Aussie star Margot Robbie brought Barbieland to Bondi as she and her co-stars staged an all-pink takeover of Icebergs to promote their much-hyped Hollywood flick.
Confidential
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If you think there’s nothing more to Barbie than the blonde bimbo ‘stereotype’, star Margot Robbie will put you back in your box.
The blonde Barbie bombshell herself was all smiles at her Sydney debut yesterday at none other than Bondi Icebergs, which of course was all Barbie-ed up with the famous logo adorned on the bottom of the iconic pool.
She arrived wearing a short strawberry-print dress, with her hair pulled back in a slick pony representative of her famed character.
Inside, she made a wardrobe change, into a striped, curve-hugging mini dress.
Robbie said the film doesn’t paint Barbie to be ‘vapid or ditzy’: it does exactly the opposite.
“I definitely didn’t want to portray Barbie as being vapid in any way. She can be anything — President, a Nobel Prize winner,” Robbie said.
She said she trod a fine line weaving in her character’s naivety without making her seem unintelligent.
Robbie was joined by co-star America Ferrera, the film’s acclaimed writer and director Greta Gerwig and “President Barbie” — or, as she prefers — ‘Boss Barbie’ Issa Rae, who was the only one of the four dressed in Barbie’s bright pink.
The four seemed tickled pink that the brand conjures so much nostalgia for fans young and old.
Icebergs proved a fitting venue: the beach is a significant setting in the movie.
Film paraphernalia covered the walls of the Icebergs restaurant, while pink umbrellas surrounded makeshift palm trees and Barbie towels and branded surfboards gave the pool deck a splash of — you guessed it — pink.
“If you like Barbie you’re going to love it. If you hate Barbie you’re going to love it. And if you just like movies, you’re going to love it — so it really is for everyone,” Robbie told reporters.
“It’s really fun. Every day on set felt like a giant dance party, a giant slumber party.
“Every day was the ‘best day ever’,” she laughed.
The stars will host another ‘best day ever’ for fans at Sydney’s Pitt St Mall on Friday.
BARBIE STAR TRAVELLER
On Wednesday, Robbie stuck with the script to be again pretty in pink – even after a long-haul flight.
The Aussie star stepped off a 13-hour haul from Los Angeles, touching down in Sydney to promote much hyped Hollywood flick.
Wearing a pink tweed jacket, white crop top and Chanel ballet flats, the 32-year-old carted a pink and cream travel bag as she was escorted via the VIP exit of Sydney International Airport early Wednesday.
It kickstarted one of the biggest Hollywood promotional press tours to Sydney since Covid with fans and critics alike eagerly awaiting the July 20 release of the film.
The cast will do the rounds of media over the coming days.
Their visit comes days after a ‘Barbieland’ event in Los Angeles, at which Robbie rocked up in a pink Corvette with matching Bottega Veneta ensemble.
Inside, she changed into a pink polka dot Valentino cutout dress with white stilettos, beaded bracelet and yellow handbag – a look revealed to be inspired by the Mattel toy figure.
Ryan Gosling is not on the Australian promo tour.
He plays Ken to Robbie’s Barbie while Ferrera is Mattel employee Gloria and Rae is President Barbie.
The film also stars Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie, Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie, Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie and Nicola Mary Coughlin as Diplomat Barbie.
A Vogue Australia private party is in the works for Friday night while a fan event will be held for the film at Westfield Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall on Friday.
Fans — naturally — are encouraged to wear pink.
While Robbie and her castmates are in Sydney, Gosling has travelled to his home country of Canada with co-star Simu Liu to promote the film there.
The Barbie movie hits Australian cinemas on July 20.