Saoirse Ronan reveals cancelled ‘Barbie’ role

Saoirse Ronan has revealed the role she was lined-up for in Barbie.

• READ MORE: ‘Barbie’ review: Greta Gerwig’s grown-up toy story is fantastic fun

The film adaptation of the iconic toy franchise was released last year to huge acclaim and box office success, becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year.

Ronan has previously worked with Barbie director Greta Gerwig, leading her two previous films Little Women and Lady Bird.

Speaking to Variety, the actress addressed Timothée Chalamet‘s recent claim that he and Ronan were set for cameos in Barbie that never came to fruition, revealing that she was set to play a Weird Barbie alongside Kate McKinnon.

“I don’t know what he was going to be, but I was definitely going to be a Weird Barbie,” she said. “I don’t know how to take that. I would have been with Kate McKinnon, so that would have been nice. I had a scene but didn’t ever get to do it, and it wasn’t in the movie.

“I can’t even remember now, but it was weird. I think I’d be the strange girl who talked to herself and always had her pet dog with her and always talked to the dog and wouldn’t look at anyone.”

Ronan added: “I worked with Jacqueline Durran, the costume designer. After they’d made it, I was like, who was I going to be anyway? Because I had a scene but didn’t ever get to do it and I wasn’t in the movie… and she was like, ‘Oh, obviously you are going to be a really weird Barbie, Saoirse’.”

Chalamet himself spoke last month about his planned role, telling The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: “I don’t know what the cameo would’ve been. I think it would’ve been one of the rejected Kens or Barbies. Not Alan! Maybe there was a reject French one along the way.”

Another star who was lined-up for a Barbie appearance was Dan Levy, who confirmed he was offered a role as a Ken – though had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts.

“Logistically could not make it work despite desperately trying to,” he told People. “So, yeah, I guess I was I was technically unavailable to to do that.

“Does it haunt me when I sleep at night? Sometimes. It’s not like it isn’t like one of the biggest movies of all time. That was a tough, that was a tough day”.

In other news, the Film Committee Chair of BAFTA has responded to perceived snubs in the recently-announced nominations, which includes Barbie after the film scored only five nods.