Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie brings the iconic doll to life with impressive depth and style. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as Barbie and Ken, who leave Barbie Land for the Real World to learn who’s causing problems for the otherwise carefree Barbie. The film received critical acclaim for its inventiveness, message, and the performance of its cast. Gosling and America Ferrera received Oscar nominations for their performances, while the film received a Best Picture nomination, cementing it as the cultural phenomenon of 2023.
Barbie has several notable cameos, with a few familiar faces popping by to join the fun. Cameos can be a fun way to insert a well-known celebrity, whether they’re an actor or not, into a small role — but that doesn’t mean they don’t make a huge impression. Every cameo brings something to the table, whether just a chuckle or a bonafide gasp from the audience; still, the best cameos in Barbie bring a little something extra, as they are fun, instantly memorable, and endlessly entertaining.
Barbie
- Release Date
- July 21, 2023
- Runtime
- 114 minutes
8 Ryan Piers Williams
Role: Gloria’s Husband
Actor, writer, and director Ryan Piers Williams plays Gloria’s (America Ferrera) husband. While Gloria wonders if her husband would notice that she left, he is shown at home using Duolingo to learn Spanish, completely unaware of what Gloria’s up to. He appears again during Barbie’s now-iconic ending sequence with Gloria, Sasha, and the newly human Barbie. His Spanish hasn’t improved, but he is still trying, and he references the Disney Channel original movie Gotta Kick It Up!, in which Ferrera starred.
Although Williams’ scenes are brief, they’re wonderfully funny and show a well-intentioned and supportive, if slightly oblivious, husband. He is among the film’s most positive depictions of masculinity, and his two short scenes are also quite hilarious. Williams’ cameo is also notable because he’s Ferrera’s real husband.
7 Chris Taylor
Role: Ken
Chris Taylor is among the most memorable islanders on Love Island UK, appearing on the show in 2019. Prior to his time on the island, he was a business development manager and now works as an influencer. He appears in Barbie as one of the many Kens, in a scene after the Kens have taken over Barbie Land, awarding a fellow Ken the Nobel Prize for horses.
Taylor’s scene as Ken is short but hilarious. The idea that Ken based his entire new male-dominated world around the idea of horses is hysterical enough. However, Taylor really sells the scene’s smug silliness, delivering his lines with genuine admiration at his fellow Ken’s “achievement.” Non-Love Island fans might have a hard time placing him, but those who enjoy the infamous reality show will surely enjoy his blink-and-you’ll-miss-it intervention.
6 Nicola Coughlan
Role: Diplomat Barbie
Irish actor Nicola Coughlan is best known for starring in the hit Netflix period drama series Bridgerton, as well as the British sitcom Derry Girls. Coughlan joins a slew of wonderful young female actresses as one of the many Barbies in Barbie Land, playing Diplomat Barbie. Coughlan’s role is brief because of scheduling conflicts, but her intervention is quite striking.
Coughlan looks totally different in her cameo as Diplomat Barbie, with bright red hair instead of her usual blonde—similar to what she’ll sport in the upcoming season of Bridgerton. Diplomat Barbie’s intervention is rather short, and many might’ve missed it altogether the first time they saw the movie. However, Coughlan is vibrant in the cameo, making the most of her limited screen time and making fans wish she would’ve played a larger role in Barbie.
5 Dua Lipa
Role: Mermaid Barbie
Grammy Award-winning pop star Dua Lipa makes her acting debut in Barbie, appearing on the beach as the glamorous Mermaid Barbie. Mermaid Barbie sports multiple colorful wigs, including blue, pink, and purple. Additionally, she contributed an original song to the incredible Barbie soundtrack, the Grammy-nominated hit “Dance the Night.”
Dua Lipa’s Mermaid Barbie is instantly striking, thanks to her bright hair and hilariously deadpan tone. The singer is perfectly utilized in her scenes, waving like a beauty queen before becoming subservient to the Kens once they take over Barbie Land. Dua Lipa’s cameo works because she fits the role and the film’s humor seamlessly. She knows she’s there to make an impression, and boy, does she make one! Between this and Argylle, the singer is making her entrance into the film world, so perhaps it won’t be long before she plays a more meaningful role in a picture.
4 Emerald Fennell
Role: Midge
“Hey, Midge – never mind.” Seen just briefly a couple of times in Barbie, actor, writer, and director Emerald Fennell plays Midge. Fennell has starred in the British show Call the Midwife, as well as Netflix’s royal drama The Crown, before winning the 2021 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for her acclaimed film Promising Young Woman. In Barbie, Midge is the only pregnant doll, a creepy fact many characters reference throughout the film.
Midge is often the punchline, as most characters avoid her due to how eerie it is to see a perpetually pregnant doll. Fennell has almost no lines, and her awkward hand waves and desperation to be noticed make each of her appearances funny, cringey, and unforgettable. Fennell is among the best cameos in Barbie and the definition of a scene-stealing performance. The multi-hyphenate enjoyed an incredible 2023 thanks to this memorable role and the scandalous psychological thriller Saltburn, which she directed and wrote. Curiously, Margot Robbie is one of Saltburn‘s producers, strengthening the working relationship between her and Fennell.
3 Rob Brydon
Role: Sugar Daddy Ken
Welsh actor Rob Brydon is best known for his role as Uncle Bryn in the British sitcom Gavin & Stacey. He appears briefly in Weird Barbie’s house as Sugar Daddy Ken, alongside other infamous Barbie one-offs, including Earring Magic Ken, played by Tom Stourton.
Despite the connotations of “sugar daddy,” the doll’s backstory in both the movie and real life is that Sugar Daddy Ken is the daddy to a little white West Highland Terrier named Sugar. Brydon’s cameo in Barbie is thanks to Margot Robbie, who is a huge Gavin & Stacey fan and made sure to bring the actor on board, even if just for a cameo. But what a cameo it was! Brydon embraces Sugar Daddy Ken’s silliness, going all-in with the role and pulling focus every time he speaks. Brydon’s Sugar Daddy Ken is a bright disco ball in a movie full of them, and he still manages to be memorable and hilarious.
2 John Cena
Role: Kenmaid
John Cena first made his career as a professional wrestler with WWE before turning to acting. He has built an impressive resumé, thanks to roles in Fast X and The Suicide Squad opposite Barbie’s star and producer, Margot Robbie. He appears in Barbie as Kenmaid, Mermaid Barbie’s companion. He only has two scenes, but they are hysterical and unforgettable.
Cena’s cameo is the funniest in Barbie, complete with a beautiful mane of long flowing blonde hair. A natural comedian, Cena is absurdly hilarious in the role, heightening each of Kenmaid’s actions and losing himself in the scene’s humor. Cena’s cameo in Barbie is a true surprise, and his brief but unforgettable scene surely provoked one of the film’s biggest laughs.
1 Ann Roth
Role: Woman on the Bench
Ann Roth is a costume designer who has been nominated for an Oscar five times, winning twice for The English Patient and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. She appears in Barbie as an old woman sitting on a bench, and when Barbie tells her she’s beautiful, she replies confidently, “I know,” before sharing a laugh with the doll.
Despite being a major behind-the-scenes figure, Roth isn’t as recognizable as some of the other cameos. However, Roth has the most powerful scene in Barbie, as the moving interaction addresses beauty standards and self-love in two simple lines. Roth’s quote summarizes every major theme in Barbie, and her naturalistic, effortless delivery makes it all the more poignant. Every other cameo in Barbie is fun and entertaining, but Roth’s is the only one that’s also meaningful.
Barbie is available to stream on Max.
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