Who is the old lady on the bench in 'Barbie'?
The best moment in the Barbie movie isn't in any of the musical montages, Ken serenades, or slumber parties; it's nestled quietly on a park bench.
In a scene teased by an early trailer, Barbie's (Margot Robbie) bombastically pink adventure quiets down for a moment when she sits next to an old woman on a bench. Barbie, who's feeling fragile after being brutally roasted by a teenage girl, turns to the old woman and softly says, "You're beautiful." The woman's response? "I know." Barbie's laughing through her tears. I'm laughing through my tears. Is it even a Greta Gerwig film if a woman didn't make you cry?
It's been largely speculated that the old lady on the bench is Barbara Handler, the daughter of Barbie inventor Ruth Handler and the doll's namesake. But the lady on the bench is actually played by Ann Roth, an Oscar-winning costume designer and a friend of Gerwig's. Roth's extensive film credits include three films with Gerwig's co-writer and real-life partner Noah Baumbach: Margot at the Wedding, While We're Young, and White Noise.
In an interview with the New York Times, Gerwig explained that she needed to cast an older actor for this small but poignant role, so she turned to her friend Roth, whom she described as a "legend." Gerwig also expressed her thoughts on the bench scene, which she thinks is "the heart of the movie," and shared, "It's a cul-de-sac of a moment, in a way — it doesn't lead anywhere. 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.' And I said, 'If I cut the scene, I don't know what this movie is about.'"
Barbie's bench scene is one of the most emotional moments in the film. It speaks volumes about what Barbie's been trying to do this whole time, which is to make women feel confident. And just when Barbie fears she's failed, a gorgeous stranger on a bench reminds her that sometimes we don't really need Barbie’s help. We can all do it on our own.