America Ferrera’s Sensational Barbie Monologue Took Nearly 50 Takes to Nail
America Ferrera, the talented actress from the film Barbie, revealed that shooting her unforgettable monologue required between 30 and 50 takes.
In the Greta Gerwig directed film, Ferrera portrays a human woman named Gloria, who meets Barbie (Margot Robbie) when the iconic doll escapes from Barbie Land and enters the real world. Gloria’s monologue addresses the challenges and pressures women face in society, earning her praise from viewers for the impactful speech.
During two days of intense filming, Ferrera had to rehearse the monologue several times from different angles. The scene was part of a larger sequence with several characters, which made it even harder to perform. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed that although she felt they had done 500 takes, she only did between 30 and 50.
“We shot it over two days,” she told the magazine. “It’s part of a much bigger scene with lots of characters in it. I had to do it many, many times for other people’s coverage and to get through the whole scene.”
She admitted that while it “felt like 500” takes were required to nail the big moment, the actual total was likely closer to “30 to 50 full runs of it, top to bottom.”
Her co-star, 15-year-old Ariana Greenblatt, who portrays Gloria’s daughter, Sasha, has even memorized the monologue after hearing it many times.
America Ferrera’s #Barbie speech even made the men cry on set, Greta Gerwig reveals. pic.twitter.com/Tj0XFL5PEj
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 25, 2023
Director Greta Gerwig deserves credit for allowing Ferrera to make the scene her own. Gerwig encouraged her to be creative and find the perfect interpretation, which paid off.
“There were moments in shooting the movie where Greta had really written something in a very specific way that she heard in a very specific way in her head with particular cadence in a particular speed or particular inflection. I thought maybe this would be like that, but it was the opposite. She wanted me to completely make it my own and find it as we did it,” she explained.
If you have not seen America Ferrera’s fantastic performance in the film Barbie, you’re in for a treat. Her interpretation of Gloria and her emotional monologue will leave you in awe of her talent and dedication. Thanks to Ferrera’s exceptional talents, Barbie went from being a simple doll to an inspiring character. The Barbie movie is available in theaters. Check out the trailer down below.
America Ferrera has a monologue in BARBIE that I have not stopped thinking about. It's one of the most profound pieces of writing and it's delivered beautifully. Here's part of my conversation with Ferrera talking about the thought-provoking themes of that sequence. #Barbie pic.twitter.com/vM0nwc0yiq
— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) July 20, 2023
Here’s Gloria’s full monologue from Barbie:
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.”
“You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the d*mn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining.”
“You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.”
“I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”
