‘Barbie’ Director Strongly Rejected CGI For One Part Of The Film: ‘That’s Terrifying’

As fans count down the days until the premiere of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, the director explained why she totally shut down the suggestion of using CGI for one important moment in the film.

The fantasy comedy film starring Margot Robbie includes a scene depicting Barbie taking off her shoes and still having an exaggerated arched foot just like the plastic doll. Gerwig said the high arch is all real.

“There was a big discussion in the beginning,” Gerwig said during a discussion on the Australian talk show “The Project,” per Entertainment Weekly. “Everyone said, ‘Are you going to CGI all the feet?’ And I thought, ‘Oh God, no! That’s terrifying! That’s a nightmare.'”

“Also, Margot has the nicest feet. She has these beautiful dancer feet. I was like, ‘She should just hang onto that bar and do it just like this,'” she said.

Robbie previously discussed the foot shots, saying she held onto a bar to keep her feet arched so dramatically. “I really don’t like it when someone else does my hands or feet in an insert shot,” the actress told Time during a June interview, explaining that it took her eight takes to get the perfect shot that’s featured in the trailer.

Robbie’s body double, Emma Eastwood, was a stand-in for some of the more tedious foot shots, saying she had to walk up a set of stairs acting like her feet hurt and lie facedown on the ground for an hour. Eastwood confirmed that plot details were kept secret even from the actors themselves. 

“They didn’t give me any details of what we would be doing. There were a couple times they said the whole cast would be there and it would be an important day, but they never actually gave me any details of what we would be doing until I was on set,” she said, per CinemaBlend. 

While many details about “Barbie” are still under wraps, the basic plot is that Barbie and Ken (Ryan Gosling) are enjoying life in their fantasy dream world until they get a chance to visit reality and interact with humans. Hilarity and chaos ensue as they navigate a new reality. 

The “Barbie” movie hits theaters on July 21.