>> Announcer: WELCOME BACK TO GMA LIVE FROM TIMES SQUARE. >> WE ARE COUNTING DOWN. YES, WE ARE COUNTING DOWN TO ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MOVIES OF THE SUMMER. "BARBIE." DEBORAH ROBERTS SAT DOWN WITH THE CAST BEFORE THE SAG-AFTRA STRIKE. SHE IS BACK DRESSED APPROPRIATELY FOR THE STORY. GOOD MORNING, DEBORAH. >> I COULDN'T HELP IT. SO MANY OF US REMEMBER OUR FIRST BARBIES. I GOT MINE AT AGE 9. SHE WAS SUCH A TREASURE. BUT OVER THE YEARS, BARBIE BECAME CONTROVERSIAL, WITH CRITICISM THAT SHE PROJECTED A NARROW AND IMPOSSIBLE STANDARD OF BEAUTY. BUT WE ALL SAW HER EVOLVE, A MULTICAREER WOMAN REPRESENTING SEVERAL RACES AND SHADE OF BEAUTY, SPARKING NEW CONVERSATION ABOUT THE NOW 60-YEAR-OLD DOLL. AND THAT'S WHAT SEEMED TO MOTIVATE THIS MOVIE. >> HI, BARBIE. >> HI, BARBIE. >> HI, BARBIE. >> Reporter: WHO WOULD IMAGINE THAT BARBIE WOULD BE AT THE CENTER OF SUMMER'S MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIE? >> THIS DOLL IS BACK IN THE BOX. ♪ >> SO MUCH PINK. SO MUCH PINK. BARBIELAND IS WHERE I CAUGHT UP WITH THE STAR STUDDED CAST. >> WE WERE IN NO DANGER OF A WATER EXIT. >> LOOK AT THAT. >> I'M FINE. >> LIKE CHRIS ANGEL OR SOMETHING. >> I'M NOT A STRONG SWIMMER. >> Reporter: MARGOT ROBBIE AND RYAN GOSSLING STAR AS BARBIE AND KEN, THE ICONIC DOLLS WHO RULED THE KID WORLD FOR 60 YEARS. >> CAN I COME TO YOUR HOUSE TODAY? >> SURE. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING BIG PLANNED. JUST A GIANT BLOWOUT PARTY WITH ALL THE BARBIES AND CHOREOGRAPH. YOU SHOULD STOP BY. >> SO COOL. >> Reporter: PEOPLE HAVE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIPS TO BARBIE. BARBIE IS A GLOBAL CULTURAL ICON. MANY PEOPLE LOVE HER. SOME PEOPLE NOT SO MUCH. HOW DID YOU SORT THAT OUT? >> I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT MADE THIS PROJECT EXCITING AND PART OF THE REASON WE WANTED TO MAKE A BARBIE MOVIE TO BEGIN WITH WAS, A, SHE'S SO WELL KNOWN. SUCH A GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED NAME. BUT MORE THAN THAT, I WAS BOTH SCARED OF AND EXCITED BY THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE WERE GOING TO COME INTO THIS MOVIE ALREADY FEELING VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THE PROTAGANIST. >> WHEN I WATCH MY KIDS PLAY WITH BARBIES, THEY'RE NOT BRUSHING THEIR HAIR AN DRESSING THEM UP. THEY ALL HAVE NAMES THAT AREN'T BARBIE. THEY ALL HAVE VERY COMPLICATED BACK STORIES. IT'S VERY INVOLVED. >> Reporter: BARBIE, WITH ITS VIBRANT COLORS, OFFERS A BIG MESSAGE, CHALLENGING STEREOTYPES, ALL PART OF THE VISION FOR OSCAR NOMINATED DIRECTOR GRETA GERWICH. WERE YOU RELUCTANT AT ALL? >> I ADMIRE GRETA AN MARGOT SO MUCH, IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THEM WAS JUST TOO GOOD. IF I WAS RELUCTANT, IT WAS I DOUBTED MY KENERGY. BUT I HAD TO TRUST THAT THEY, THAT THEY WOULD GUIDE ME. >> Reporter: THERE'S A REAL STORY HERE ABOUT MEN AND WOMEN AND YOUR PLACE AND POWER. WAS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU IN TERMS OF MAKING THIS MOVIE? >> IT'S EXACTLY WHY I WANTED GRETA TO DO THIS MOVIE. I THINK IN OTHER HANDS A BARBIE MOVIE WOULD REMAIN SURFACE LEVEL. I KNEW GRETA WAS GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO SAY AND TROJAN HORSE A LOT OF BIG ISSUES WITHIN A VERY FUN WORLD. >> Reporter: THERE'S A LOT OF TALK IN THE WORLD ABOUT THE PATRIARCH. THAT WORD IS USED A LOT. IN THE FILM THE SUPREME COURT IS ALL WOMEN. THERE'S A WOMAN PRESIDENT. >> TELL HER HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HER, COMPLIMENT HER. YOU CAN ASK ME ANY QUESTION YOU WANT. >> HOW COME YOU'RE SO AMAZEING? >> NO COMMENT. >> I LOVE SEEING THE BARBIES. IT'S ALSO A WAY TO LOOK AT SOMETHING THROUGH THE EYES OF KEN WHERE YOU CAN SAY, I SEE WHAT THEY'VE DONE THERE. >> Reporter: WITH ITS CAMPY HUMOR, THE FILM, BUDGETED AT ABOUT $100 MILLION, GOES ALL OUT, WHILE ALSO REFLECTING THE DIVERSITY MATTEL HAS INCORPORATED IN ITS DOLL LINE IN RECENT YEAR. YOU PLAY PRESIDENT BARBIE. WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THAT AND WAS IT SIGNIFICANT TO YOU THAT THIS FILM WAS ONE THAT WAS ALL ABOUT INCLUSIVITY AND NOT THE CLASSIC STEREOTYPE, JUST THE STEREOTYPE BARBIE. >> THE ONLY HESITATION WAS JUST LIKE, WHERE DO I FIT IN THIS PARTICULAR BARBIE WORLD? WHAT WILL THE BARBIE WORLD LOOK LIKE. NO ONE WANTS TO BE TOKENIZED IN THAT WORLD. STEPPING ONTO THAT SET, THAT WAS PART OF THE BEAUTY WAS THAT THERE WAS JUST SO MUCH REPRESENTATION, THERE WAS SO MUCH OF EVERYTHING. >> Reporter: SHE JOINED ON SCREEN BY KATE MCKINNON WHO PLAYS WEIRD BARBIE. >> GETTING TO WHERE LIKE COOKY OUTFITS AND COOKY WIGS AND STUFF ON MY FACE, THAT'S WHERE I FEEL MOST AT HOME AND LIKE MYSELF. SO IT WAS JUST PERFECT. OH MY GOD. >> HI. I'M WEIRD BARBIE. I HAVE A FUNKY HAIR CUT AND SMELL LIKE BASEMENT. >> Reporter: BUT AMERICA HAS PERHAPS THE MOST MEMORABLE SCENE AS GLORIA, A MOM, WHO REMINDS US OF THE STRUGGLE MODERN DAY WOMEN GRAPPLE WITH EVERY DAY. >> MOM, ARE YOU REALLY GONNA LET BARBIE TAKE YOU TO AN IMAGINARY LAND? >> YES. DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY? BECAUSE I NEVER GET TO DO ANYTHING. >> Reporter: I ASKED YOUR CO-STARS THIS AND I WANT TO ASK YOU THIS. FILL IN THE BLANK. BARBIE IS -- >> ALL OF US. I JUST HOPE PEOPLE LOVE IT. I THINK THEY WILL. I HOPE THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES WATCHING IT. LIKE, I DON'T KNOW. I FEEL LIKE THERE'S SOME SORT OF RELIEF IN THIS MOVIE, THAT THE MESSAGE IS ULTIMATELY, YOU'RE GOOD. YOU'RE GOOD AS YOU ARE. >> GOOD AS YOU ARE. IT'S PRETTY GOOD, TOO. A REALLY FUN MOVIE. SPOILER ALERT. THE REAL LIFE BARBIE, THE DOLL WAS NAMED FOR, HAS A CAMEO IN THE FILM. ANOTHER FUN FACT. THERE WAS SO MUCH PINK USED ON THE SET IN ENGLAND FOR THIS FILM THAT REPORTEDLY THERE WAS A SHORTAGE OF THAT PARTICULAR COLOR WORLD WIDE. "BARBIE" IS IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE THIS FRIDAY. WEAR YOUR PINK. GET SOME
