Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach reveal how 'white noise' affected 'Barbie'
Following the Netflix premiere of "White Noise," the filmmaking duo discusses the surreal satire's connection to Gerwig's highly anticipated "Barbie."
When you think of Barbie dolls, do you also think of airborne toxic events? While Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig's recent films "Barbie" and "White Noise" may seem starkly different, the filmmakers have revealed that they are actually connected. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Baumbach revealed that he felt the films were connected because they "come from the same place."
Baumbach explains that they worked on both films at the same time, saying, "I wrote White Noise, and then, when I put it together in one place, I thought, well, I've done a lot Heavy work, Greta and I started making Barbie dolls." He continued:
"That was all sort of happening during that first year of the pandemic. They’re kind of connected in a funny way. The execution is different but there are aspects of the world of White Noise that actually informed some of how we looked at Barbie.”
Gerwig agreed with Baumbach, explaining that white noise was an important source of inspiration for their Barbie script. She told EW, "Everything was written in 2020, and they very much felt like they were somehow from the same place. I mean they actually came from the same address." Acknowledging their work on both films It's easy to influence both projects, Gerwig continues, "I think it contributed—he was doing that, and we were working on Barbie."
Although Baumbach and Gerwig Having agreed that there is a strong connection and compatibility between the two films, Gerwig dismissed the possibility of a Barbie and White Noise double feature, joking: "I'm not going to sell that. I'm sure if anyone would, That might be funny. I don't know, it might be weird. I can feel the connection between them, but I don't know if other people will see it."
Although Barbie has been widely publicized and highly anticipated, But the director admitted she was "terrified" of directing a film about Barbie dolls. On an episode of Dua Lipa's "At Your Service" podcast, Gerwig revealed her experience writing and directing Barbie:
“I think there’s something about starting from that place where it’s like, ‘Well, anything is possible!’ It felt like vertigo starting to write it. Like, where do you even begin? What would be the story? I think it was that feeling I had that it would be really interesting terror. Usually, that’s where the best stuff is. When you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender,’ then you’re like, ‘OK, I probably should do it.'”
Barbie will premiere on July 21, 2023, after she was banished from Barbieland for being "not perfect enough" doll." The film stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig, Emma McKee and Will Ferrell. White Noise recently premiered on Netflix in December 2022, based on the fictional novel of the same name by Don DeLillo. It follows college professor Jack Gladney and his family as their picturesque suburban life is upended by a "toxic event in the air," forcing Gladney's family to evacuate and run away. Both the book and the film have been praised for their scathing critiques of American consumer culture. White Noise stars Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver, Raffey Cassidy, Andre 3000, Don Cheadle, Judy Turner-Smith and Sam Nivola. It's currently streaming on Netflix, and you can check out the official trailer below:
