By Wonderwall.com Editors
1:00pm PST, Feb 3, 2024
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There's still plenty of backlash bubbling around the "Barbie"-sphere after the top-earning movie was snubbed by Oscar voters in two big categories when the 2024 Academy Award nominations were revealed on Jan. 23.
Fans in Hollywood and beyond have expressed outrage that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences failed to nominate "Barbie" writer-director Greta Gerwig and star-producer Margot Robbie in the best director and best lead actress categories, respectively.
The oddball feminist comedy was, by most accounts, a stunning success, winning over critics and setting a new record with its $1.4 billion box office haul. And while "Barbie" did score eight nominations — including nods for best picture and best adapted screenplay — it hasn't helped matters that while Margot's performance got no Academy recognition, her male co-star, Ryan Gosling, was nominated for best supporting actor. (Nor has it gone unnoticed that only eight women have ever been nominated for best director.)
While Margot and Greta initially said nothing about the perceived snubs, Margot finally weighed in on Jan. 30, sharing her thoughts on the matter at a Screen Actors Guild screening in Los Angeles.
Keep reading to see what she said, then read on to see how Ryan Gosling, John Stamos and other stars reacted to the snubs…
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"There's no way to feel sad when you know you're this blessed," Margot Robbie said at a SAG screening in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, according to Deadline.
"Obviously I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off — it really is. But it's been an incredible year for all the films," she continued.
As for the phenomenal box office support — and, presumably, the nominations outcry — Margot said, "I just suspect it's bigger than us. It's bigger than this movie, it's bigger than our industry."
After noting that she's "beyond ecstatic that we've got eight Academy Award nominations," the actress and producer explained, "We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact. And it's already done that, and some, way more than we ever dreamed it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this."
Keep reading for more reactions …
MORE: Margot Robbie's most inspired "Barbie" press tour looks
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"I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I'd being saying this, but I'm also incredibly honored and proud that it's for portraying a plastic doll named Ken," Oscar-nominated "Barbie" star Ryan Gosling said in a statement about the snubs.
"But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no 'Barbie' movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film," he continued. "No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I'm disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement."
"Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees. Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film," he concluded.
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"Greta [Gerwig] has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve [a nomination]. Creating this world, and taking something that didn't have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list," Oscar-nominated "Barbie" star America Ferrera told Variety on Jan. 23.
"What Margot [Robbie] achieved as an actress is truly unbelievable," she added.
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"Barbie" star America Ferrera also spoke to Deadline about Greta Gerwig's and Margot Robbie's directing and lead actress snubs.
"They're my girls, and I want to see their incredible, amazing work celebrated. They made history, they set a new bar. They not only broke box office records, but made something that resonated around the globe, and the impact of what they made is, and will continue to be felt in our culture. I think I join a lot of people in wanting to see them acknowledged for that," America said.
She went on to discuss how and why Margot, who also produced the film, asked Greta to co-write the script and direct the film.
"I think right from that moment, people got interested in what Greta's mind as a filmmaker would do with 'Barbie,' and she just assembled incredible artist after incredible artist, in front of the camera and behind the camera, to bring her vision to life. The script was so funny and subversive and irreverent, but also dared to really have a heart and a message," the actress explained.
"When I've watched a great movie, I feel more excited about not just what's possible in storytelling, but also what's possible in life, and I feel like that is what Greta accomplished with this movie," she added.
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"Margot Robbie and Greta Geriwg were not nominated for acting or directing whereas Ryan Gosling was. He got a nomination for playing Ken … which ironically, was kinda the plot of the 'Barbie' movie," Jimmy Kimmel said on the Jan. 23 edition of "Jimmy Kimmel Live." "It's pretty crazy, you know Ryan Gosling plays a guy with no testicles and gets an Oscar nomination. Ron DeSantis does it, he has to drop out of the primary, it's unfair."
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"Here's the deal: Everybody doesn't win," said EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" on Jan. 24.
When her co-star, Sunny Hostin, brought up "the snubs," Whoopi continued.
"Well, but they're not snubs. And that's what I want to sort of point out," she said. "And it's not the elites — it's the entire family of the Academy who vote for Best Picture nominations. We all vote for Best Picture, everybody. So there are seven to 10 nominations that happen, and you don't get everything that you want to get. There are no snubs, and that's what you have to keep in mind: Not everybody gets a prize. The movies you love may not be loved by the people who are voting."
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"The View" co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin also chimed in on the Jan. 24 episode.
After praising Ryan Gosling's Oscar nod for his turn as Ken in "Barbie," Alyssa asked, "Did they miss the whole moral of the story of 'Barbie'? Of course, we celebrate just Ken and not the woman who is the lead in it and the icon in it? But actually, I think this could give Greta [Gerwig] an idea for a sequel," she continued. "Barbie goes to Hollywood and is snubbed by the elites who chose Ken over her. So just throwing that out there for an idea."
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"Make it make sense," George Takei captioned a repost on Threads.
The original post read, "Hypothetically, if I were going to nominate a film about a badger, starring a badger, called 'Badger,' for best picture … I would also nominate the badger, right?"
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"Greta [Gerwig] and Margot [Robbie], while it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You're both so much more than Kenough. #HillaryBarbie." –Hillary Clinton wrote on Instagram
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"Joy and disappointment, it seems to go hand-in-hand," 2023 best actress Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh told Hoda Kotb on the "Today" show when asked about the snubs on Jan. 24.
"Thank god they got nominated for best picture, but you do think, 'How do you get nominated for best picture and not best director and best actress?' But it happens. And I'm sorry it happened to them because it's obviously one of the most successful and beloved movies."
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"Anatomy of a Fall" filmmaker Justine Triet was the only woman nominated for best director this year, despite the success of Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Celine Song's "Past Lives."
The French director told The Hollywood Reporter she was "surprised" she was included "because there are no more women beside me" in the category.
Asked which films she's "rooting for" come March 10, Justine included "Barbie" as one of her picks.
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The 96th Academy Awards air live on March 10, 2024. Since the Oscars' inception nearly a century ago, only three women have been named best director.
The first was Kathryn Bigelow (pictured here), whose 2010 win for "The Hurt Locker" made history after more than 80 years of awards.
More than a decade later in 2021, Chloé Zhao won best director for "Nomadland," followed by Jane Campion's 2022 win for "The Power of the Dog."
