Barbie film used so much pink paint it triggered worldwide shortage
The new Barbie movie triggered a "pink crisis" for using too much pink paint to build its Barbieland set.
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An attendee walks past an advertisement for the upcoming film "Barbie" on the opening day of CinemaCon 2023, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) at Caesars Palace, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP)
The new upcoming Barbie film, directed by Greta Gerwig, required so much paint that it wiped out an entire company's supply.
Gerwig and the film's production designer Sarah Greenwood spoke to Architectural Digest about the construction of Barbieland, which is entirely fluorescent pink, from the lifesize version of the doll's "Dreamhouse" to details of the roads and cities.
During the interview, Greenwood, a six-time Oscar nominee, said that the film caused an international shortage of pink paint,"The world ran out of pink," she told the magazine.
‘Barbie’ production designer reveals the movie used so much pink paint on set that it caused an international shortage. pic.twitter.com/OXpruiAAFJ
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 2, 2023
Vice-president of global marketing at Rosco, Lauren Proud, confirmed the film “used as much paint as we had”, but explained that production on Barbie had coincided with wider global supply chain problems during Covid-19, as well as extreme weather in Texas in early 2021, which affected vital materials used to create the paint.
“There was this shortage and then we gave them everything we could — I don’t know they can claim credit,” she said, but acknowledged, “They did clean us out on paint.”
New look at the set of Barbie’s Dreamhouse in the ‘BARBIE’ movie. pic.twitter.com/DC0RRl61Op
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 3, 2023
During the Architectural Digest interview, Gerwig said the bright pink shade was important in “maintaining the ‘kid-ness’” of the film’s aesthetic, and that Barbieland’s design was inspired by the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, Wayne Thiebaud paintings, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and An American in Paris. “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much,” Gerwig said, adding that she didn’t want to “forget what made me love Barbie when I was a little girl.”
The set designers had secured just enough paint for production on the film to go ahead, which was mostly shot at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the UK.
Starring Margot Robbie in the titular role and Ryan Gosling as the doll's beau Ken, Barbie also stars Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Kate Mckinnon, Michael Cera, and Ncuti Gatwa.
The film will be released on July 21 worldwide.
