Greta Gerwig responds to controversial Barbie joke at the Golden Globes
Greta Gerwig has responded to Jo Koy's controversial Barbie joke at the Golden Globes.
The comedian has been widely criticised for remarks made during his opening monologue at Sunday's (January 7) ceremony, in which he compared Barbie to Oppenheimer.
The host described Christopher Nolan's biographical thriller as being "based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project", before adding that "Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies."
Related: Golden Globes host regrets "weird joke" about Taylor Swift following backlash
When asked about the joke on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Gerwig said: "Well, he's not wrong. She's the first doll that was mass produced with breasts, so he was right on.
"And you know, I think that so much of the project of the movie was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll... Barbie, by her very construction, has no character, no story, she's there to be projected upon."
The director continued: "The insight that [Barbie creator] Ruth Handler had when she was watching her daughter play with baby dolls, is she realised, 'My daughter doesn't want to pretend to be a mother. She wants to pretend to be a grown woman.'
"Barbie has been around since 1959... she's been a villain and she's been a hero, but it felt like in a way, even though it's so seemingly superficial, that it was such a rich place to start."
Related: Glen Powell responds to Golden Globes mix-up with This Is Us star
Barbie picked up two awards at the weekend's ceremony. The blockbuster won 'Best Original Song' for Billie Eilish and Finneas's 'What Was I Made For', and also took home the 'Cinematic and Box Office Achievement' award.
"It was very wonderful and emotional to be able to take to the stage with the groups that made it," said Gerwig on winning the inaugural award.
"It felt very fitting, for all of us, the thing that we wanted most of all was to connect with people and to have people share an experience in the cinemas, in the movie theatres."
Barbie is available to buy or rent in the UK from Prime Video, iTunes, Microsoft Store and more, as well as being available to watch on Max in the US.
You Might Also Like
