Greta Gerwig once thought Barbie could end her career

One of this generation’s great new directors, Greta Gerwig did what any normal filmmaker would do after re-inventing Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic Little Women: She signed up to direct Barbie. It’s a classic “one for me, one for you.” Adapt one of the most beloved pieces of literature before making a movie about a plastic doll that drives a sports car. There’s no business like show business.

But it doesn’t sound like she thought it was all that great of an idea, either. Appearing on the latest episode of Dua Lipa’s At Your Service podcast, Gerwig discussed why she thought Barbie would be a “career-ender.”

“It was something that was exciting because it was terrifying,” Gerwig said. “I think that was a big part of it, like: ‘Oh, no, Barbie.’”

Oh, no, Barbie, indeed. Sure, they made a movie out of Battleship (a movie that we’re all still talking about, obsessing over, and eagerly awaiting the sequel to), but Barbie? She doesn’t even have opposable joints! But Gerwig knows what she’s doing. After all, She made Lady Bird.

Gerwig continued:

“It felt like vertigo, starting to write it, like: ‘Where do you even begin, and what would be the story?’ And I think it was that feeling I had was knowing that it would be really interesting terror. Usually that’s where the best stuff is, where you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender’ — then you’re like, ‘I should probably do it.’”

Of course, had Gerwig seen the photos of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling rollerblading in Day-Glo unitards, she probably wouldn’t have been so worried. Honestly, it seemed as though everyone stopped worrying and learned to love Barbie as soon as Robbie pulled up in that pink Corvette.

We look forward to finding out what the plot of Barbie is when it lands in theaters next year.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]