Margot Robbie breaks her silence on 'Barbie' Oscars snub: 'We set out to shift culture'

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By Nasima Khatun

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Margot Robbie has finally broken her silence on her Oscars snub for her role in Barbie.

It all started when the Oscars nominations came out last month, celebrating some of the best movies and entertainers throughout the year.

However, two of the most popular names in 2023 were seemingly left out of the line-up in their respective categories and it was none other than the star of Barbie, Margot Robbie, and the movie's director, Greta Gerwig.

Despite Barbie reigning as the top-grossing film of the year at the box office, Gerwig, 40, was absent in the Best Director category while Robbie, 33, was overlooked in the Best Actress category, leaving fans, as well as fellow co-stars extremely disappointed with the Academy.

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Margot Robbie has opened up about the Oscars snub. Credit: James Gourley/Getty

Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera, who both earned Oscar nominations for their supporting roles, spoke out in favor of their co-stars with Gosling emphasizing that while he was grateful for his nomination, none of this would have been possible without the two women responsible for creating such a Box Office masterpiece.

"...There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally- celebrated film," he continued. "No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius."

The 43-year-old actor then went on to say: "To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees."

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Ryan Gosling spoke out about his disappointment over the Oscars snub. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty/CinemaCon)

In her own statement to Variety, Ferrera also added: "Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it. Creating this world, and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list."

It's been over a week since the nominations were first revealed, and Robbie has finally spoken out about the alleged snub during a panel at a special SAG screening on Tuesday night.

"Obviously I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is," Robbie said as per Deadline. "But it’s been an incredible year for all the films."

Robbie also stated that she is "beyond ecstatic that we’ve got eight Academy Award nominations, it’s so wild" before adding: "Everyone getting the nods that they’ve had is just incredible, and the Best Picture nod."

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Margot Robbie said that Greta Gerwig deserves a nomination for her involvement in Barbie. Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty

Beyond just the Academy recognition, the Once Upon A Time in Hollywood actress also discussed the impact of the movie on society.

"We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact," Robbie said. "And it’s already done that, and some, way more than we ever dreamed it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this."

She also recalled a memory in which she saw a group of men talking about what a "cultural moment" the Barbie movie was before stating: "People’s reactions to the movie have been the biggest reward of this entire experience, whether it’s having a moment like that, or whether it’s listening in the bathrooms, or whether it’s seeing what people are writing online, or even just seeing how much pink I can see in this room right now.

"I’ve never been a part of something like this. Not like this. I’ve done comic book stuff and that gets a big reaction, but this felt very different. It still feels very different. And I can’t think of a time when a movie’s had this effect on culture. And it’s amazing to be in the eye of the storm," she added.

Barbie is up for a total of eight nominations at this year's Oscars which is set to take place March 10.

Featured Image Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty