Barbie is poised to be the standout toy-to-movie adaptation of 2023. With its clever marketing, highly anticipated release day clash with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, and an incredible cast and crew, Barbie has become one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year. Directed by the talented Greta Gerwig and written by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie stars the amazing Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, supported by an impressive ensemble.
Among the talented cast of Barbie is Ana Cruz Kayne, who portrays Supreme Court Justice Barbie. Despite not owning a Barbie doll as a child, Kayne fully embraced the world of the film, relishing the collaborative atmosphere on set and immersing herself in the role of an arbiter of justice in Barbie Land. Kayne, known for her role in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and her upcoming appearance in the Netflix drama Painkiller, spoke exclusively with FilmmakerFocus about her experience joining the Barbie-verse, including some behind-the-scenes secrets.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Ana Cruz Kayne on Barbie
FilmmakerFocus: I just read an interview where you mentioned not having a Barbie doll when you were younger. The name alone would have attracted many people to be a part of this project; what was it that excited you about joining the Barbie universe?
Are you ready to be in the movie? Ana Cruz Kayne, who plays Supreme Court Justice Barbie, grew up in a world where Barbie existed. She knows how powerful and beautiful and universal Barbie is. When she joined the creative team for the movie, she had faith that it would be an experience of a lifetime. With Margot, Ryan, and America already announced, Ana knew it was going to be good. Playing a toy and bringing it to life is a rare opportunity that allows others to imprint their imagination on it. It’s the reason Ana got into acting in the first place.
As Supreme Court Justice Barbie, Ana found a way to make the character her own within the Barbie world. All Barbies have something in common – they are brilliant, gorgeous, and joyful. Empowerment is about freedom of thought, joy, and fulfillment. For Ana, the costumes played a big role in embodying that power. When she put on the big robe for the Supreme Court Justice, she felt incredibly powerful. Seeing the diverse group of women playing the Justices moved her deeply. It truly felt like a dream world.
The dynamic of the group and the costumes helped Ana find her own place within the ensemble. It was a collaborative and sisterhood-like experience. Even with the Kens, or the Daddies as they called them, it was still a sisterhood. They all lifted each other up, and that support comes across in the movie. Ana got to see a cut of it and fell in love with all the people involved.
So, are you ready to join Ana and the rest of the cast in this incredible Barbie world?
How does the Supreme Court work in Barbie Land? What’s the justice system like over there?
Ana Cruz Kayne: It is so pro-ladies and body sovereignty, my friend. Universal childcare, health care, and all the things that women and women-identifying — and even daddies — need. Everybody needs these things. We need to be looking out for each other. It’s looking out for the group and the whole country, if Barbie Land is a country. What makes us happy and equal is what’s best for everyone.
Greta Gerwig is known for movies that feel a lot smaller than this. Lady Bird is really intimate, and I know you were in Little Women as well. What was the working atmosphere in terms of being on set?
Ana Cruz Kayne: The atmosphere was extremely loving. I just keep saying the same thing. There was so much money involved, and time, and COVID at the time, and all these things, but you didn’t feel that on set. In fact, if you ever felt anything that wasn’t 100 percent positive, it was, “I’m lonely in my trailer.” My trailer was always playing Seinfeld, because it reminded me of home. Then, you’d step outside, you’d see someone else — whether it was a PA, or a costumer, or whatever — and you’d find the second you connected with someone, you were uplifted.
Greta held a very friendly, fun set. Before we did our big dance sequence, which was one of the first things we shot, we all did a warm-up. It was such a great way of getting everybody to move together and work as this symbiotic organism. It was silly, we were dressed completely in sequins and shiny [outfits], and the DP was dancing too; it’s like everyone jumped in, and we took collective breaths. It was very collaborative and very supportive. I think she really set the tone for that, because she was collaborative.
There was not a lot of flexibility with the lines, but I would say a lot of flexibility with the delivering of the lines, and the embodying of the Barbies. Whatever felt fun to us, she would be like, “Lean into that.” I feel like she really set a precedent of, like, “This is a loving, safe place to be as weird and as big as you want,” and I think you’ll see that in our beautiful movie.
I was just rewatching the Architectural Digest tour of the Barbie Dream House. Did you have a favorite set to be on?
Ana Cruz Kayne: It’s so funny because once we were in there for hours, you’d sort of forget that this wasn’t our house. We shot different things, because they were trying different ways of opening the movie, and at one point, they had each Barbie wake up in their own house. We would kind of stretch our arms and wave at Margot and be like, “Hi Barbie!” and you see parts of that in the movie, but I just remember getting up and being like, “What if this was truly how we lived? In houses, side by side, where there are no walls, so you can always see your friends, and you can wave from your bed.”
It’s like a childhood dream. I would say my favorite set was my personal Barbie bedroom in my personal Barbie house that just took the surreal up even higher than it already was. There’d be a stunt team behind you at any moment in case you fell off. You’d get out of your bed, and you’d see a whole bunch of stunt people being like, “Are you safe?” and be like, “Oh, it’s my secret friends who want to keep me safe.” The bedrooms are pretty incredible, and you’ll see them in the movie.
Did you take anything from the set, or were you tempted? It seems like there’s just cool stuff everywhere over there.
Ana Cruz Kayne: I don’t want to give away too much, but the Kens do a sort of re-branding of our dream homes — it’s very rude — and in it, I will say, there may or may not be a lot of horses. I did take a very small, tiny horse figurine. My cat loves to play with it, so it could be anywhere right now. Sometimes I’m like “What is she playing with?” and I’m like, “Oh, it’s my Ken horse.”
I have my Ken horse, and I have my chair that says my name and Barbie on the back. I also — I don’t want to admit it, I’m so sorry Ivana — took a bandana. I haven’t worn it, because I’m always like, “What will I wear this to? It’s so special,” so it just sits in this Balmain Paris box they got us. They got us these little purses that have a Barbie “B”. They’re pink. They’re little; you can’t put anything in them, not even your AirPods. They’re all in a little keepsake box that I cherish.
Your next project after this is Painkiller, right? Which sounds like it’s exactly the opposite in every possible way.
Ana Cruz Kayne: It’s Barbie with opioids, and you can quote me because that’s actually the tagline. Think Barbie, but opioid crisis. It was a very big departure, but an extremely important topic. It shines a spotlight on a very difficult and painful subject that hundreds of thousands of people are affected by. I feel like it’s not really spoken about because billionaires are responsible for it, and that’s the dark underbelly that we cannot escape.
It’s a very powerful piece. The showrunner is Pete Berg, who did Friday Night Lights, which is the best show ever, maybe–for sure, the best pilot. He is a visionary and an actor’s director. Pete never cut. He would just be like, “Keep going, keep going, keep going. Do it again, do it again, do it again.” It allowed for so much nuance and spontaneity to come out.
It was really a treat, and extremely difficult. There were definitely moments where he’d be like, “Are you crying for real?” I’d be like, “It’s just so sad.” I’m very excited for it to come out on Netflix, and really proud of that show. I hope it comes out, and hope everybody gets to see it, because it’s an important story.
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