The Real-Life Margot Robbie Tragedy Behind the Barbie's 'Death Talk' Scene
Don't worry, no one actually died.
With all the craze surrounding Greta Gerwig's upcoming film Barbie, fans are counting down the days before it drops in theaters on July 21. The pink-tinted movie boasts a truly stellar cast, featuring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, and Dua Lipa, and revolves around the eponymous doll living in a magical Barbie Land, inhabited by many other Barbies and Kens.
Barbie Land residents are easygoing, perpetually happy, and don't seem to reflect much on their life. In fact, there is no need to because everything is perfect in their fantastical pink world. But one night, Margot's Barbie gets anxious and starts asking questions about death, alienating others with her disturbing thinking. And that's how the story begins.
As weird as it may sound, the character's interest in death was actually quite organic for the actress. In her life, Margot has experienced one particular death-related situation that made her perfect for the role. To ease your nerves, nobody actually died or was hurt in the accident, but it just shows how comfortable Robbie is with the topic of death. Here's what happened.
In an interview with James Corden — may his Late Late Show rest in peace — Robbie revealed that she once pulled a rather vicious prank on her nanny when she was a little child. According to the actress, she didn't like the lady who was hired to babysit her, and the two argued a lot. The prank Margot played on the woman was meant to teach her a lesson, and the result actually exceeded her expectations.
'I didn't want this mean lady,' Robbie explained. 'She told me to go have a bath. I was, like, "No!" We got into a little bit of a fight about that. And then I thought in my head, "Well, then I'll show you!" So, I went and got ketchup — tomato sauce — and a kitchen knife, and lay on the tiles naked, covered in tomato sauce, and waited till she found me.'
The future star had to lie on the cold bathroom floor for 45 minutes before her nanny found her there, but it was apparently worth it because the woman freaked out and left, so Margot never saw the mean lady again.
Though the prank was a bit cruel on the poor babysitter, it's great that Robbie was able to hone her acting skills with it, and the whole incident certainly helped her better understand her character in Barbie and deliver a powerful 'death talk' in the plot-defining scene.
And we can't wait to see if for real when Barbie hits theaters on July 21.
Source: YouTube.