When the nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were unveiled, the perceived snubs that Greta Gerwig’s colossal summer blockbuster Barbie suffered became the talk of the town and sparked considerable outrage.
It was not that while ago that netizens expressed their disapproval at the Oscars for failing to recognize Gerwig in the Best Director category and lead star Margot Robbie in the Best Actress category.
The discourse continued for days, with some pondering whether sexism in Hollywood was to blame for this decision.
Given the film’s themes, the contention reached its zenith when even Ryan Gosling was acknowledged in the Best Supporting Actor category. You can tell people discerned a sense of irony in the situation.
And while the sensationalism inherent to the ‘snub’ roped people into a social media frenzy and involved even co-collaborators on the project speaking out on the disappointment, many wondered whether these sentiments were echoed by the ones who were believed to have been robbed.
It turns out that the director of the commercial giant herself remains unfazed. In response to her exclusion from the Best Director race, Greta Gerwig focused on the positive: the one nomination she did receive!
Greta Gerwig Gracefully Addressed Her Best Director Oscars Snub For Barbie (2023)
Speaking to Time Magazine for their 2024 Women of the Year’s list, Greta Gerwig shared her modest, graceful outlook on the ‘Barbie-Oscar snubs‘ that ruled people’s social media timelines and news headlines for weeks.
When queried on the matter, the 40-year-old filmmaker first affirmed her support towards leading star Margot Robbie, whom Gerwig wanted to see acknowledged for her efforts in the Best Actress category.
Nevertheless, she asserted, “But I’m just happy we all get to be there together.”
On the Best Director snub, the Little Women helmer drew upon how the news had reached her inner circles, with apparently a friend’s mother expressing disbelief over her not being Oscar-nominated.
Gerwig, however, replicating the positivity she hoped to promote with her 2023 endeavor, corrected the notion, highlighting the nod that she did secure in this year’s nominations.
Following was her statement:
“A friend’s mom said to me, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t get nominated. I said, ‘But I did. I got an Oscar nomination.’ She was like, ‘Oh, that’s wonderful for you!’ I was like, ‘I know!’”
The above is a sentiment that those caught up in the uproar should’ve echoed, given the ample nominations Barbie (2023) secured for this year’s Oscars—eight, to be precise.
While not seeing powerhouse personalities like Gerwig or Margot Robbie snag a nomination in their respective fields is bound to disappoint ardent enjoyers of their work, the mass disapproval shouldn’t overshadow the acknowledgment they did receive.
Greta Gerwig is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie boasts a nod as one of the producers of Barbie in the Best Picture category.
With how cutthroat the industry can be, even these achievements remind us of what they accomplished last year on the cultural and commercial front.
Margot Robbie Shared A Similar Sentiment On The Barbie Oscars Snub
Previously, the titular Barbie actress joined her co-stars for a SAG-AFTRA discussion (via Variety) and iterated what she felt about the outrage surrounding the Oscar snubs.
In a similar spirit recently emulated by Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie’s statement suggested she wasn’t losing sleep over the lack of an acknowledgment in those much-contested main categories.
She was of the opinion that the helmer of the blockbuster deserved to compete in the Best Director race, though. Nonetheless, the Babylon alum’s further remarks on the topic demonstrated only her gratitude and not even a hint of frustration or disappointment. She prefaced, “There’s no way to feel sad when you know you’re this blessed.”
Then, Robbie affirmed:
“Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director. 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.”
Continuing, she said:
“We set out to do something that would shift culture […] 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. People’s reactions to the movie have been the biggest reward of this entire experience.”
She also expressed feeling ‘ecstatic’ about the film’s nominations rather than being discouraged by the perceived snubs.
Last year, Barbie created history. Amassing $1.446 billion at the box office is no easy feat, and the fantasy-comedy seemingly did so effortlessly. Even before becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023, it transformed the landscape and left an enduring influence on pop culture.
In what felt like a mega-celebration in cinema history, the impact of Gerwig’s magnum opus will be studied for decades. And that’s the glory the director and leading star Margot Robbie have chosen to bask in.
Barbie (2023) is available for streaming on Max.
