Greta Gerwig Said She Refused To Cut The Scene Where Barbie Meets An Older Woman

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As you've probably seen, Barbie premiered at the box office this week.

  Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.

Fans and critics are praising the Greta Gerwig-directed film.

closeup of barbie dancing
Warner Bros.

But it may have been a slightly different film if Greta had listened to studio executives, who she said told her to cut the scene where Barbie meets an older woman.

closeup of barbie with ribbon in her hair
Warner Bros.

"I love that scene so much," Greta told Rolling Stone. "And the older woman on the bench is the costume designer Ann Roth. She’s a legend."

closeup of ann smiling
Warner Bros.

"It’s a cul-de-sac of a moment in a way — it doesn’t lead anywhere.

barbie standing in front of a world map billboard
Warner Bros.

"And in early cuts, looking at the movie, it was suggested, 'Well, you could cut it. And actually, the story would move on just the same.'"

barbie singing in a convertible car
Warner Bros.

But Greta wasn't having it. "I said, 'If I cut the scene, I don’t know what this movie is about,"' she continued. "To me, this is the heart of the movie. The way Margot plays that moment is so gentle and so unforced."

barbie in a cowboy hat
Warner Bros.

"There’s the more outrageous elements in the movie that people say, 'Oh, my God, I can’t believe Mattel let you do this,' or, 'I can’t believe Warner Bros. let you do this.' But to me, the part that I can’t believe that is still in the movie is this little cul-de-sac that doesn’t lead anywhere — except for, it’s the heart of the movie."

barbie and ken rollerblading in california
Warner Bros.

I love the way she explains her rationale for including the scene. It makes perfect sense.

barbie with her arms outstretched in front of teen girls at school
Warner Bros.

You can read her full interview with Rolling Stone here.

Come hang out with everyone else who is screaming, crying, and throwing up about “Barbie” in BuzzFeed’s iOS app. Heck, even Allan is there.