Hollywood’s upcoming film, Barbie, is making headlines once again. This time, the director made such a shocking revelation that the internet is confused whether to laugh or be worried? Gerwig’s Barbie lives in a pink world, but this world isn’t easy to make. Wiping out a paint producing company’s entire global supply, the film is spending a hefty amount and putting 100% of the production house’s efforts.
In a recent interview with the American design magazine Architectural Digest, Gerwig, production designer Sarah Greenwood, and set decorator Katie Spencer, revealed details about the construction of the magical world of “Barbieland,” an imaginary world with everything pink.
During the interview, the six-time Oscar nominee production designer revealed how the film caused an international pink paint shortage.
“The world ran out of pink,” she quipped.
Gerwig told Architectural Digest, “Maintaining the ‘kid-ness’ was paramount. I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ladies told how The Barbieland design drew inspiration from the Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, Wayne Thiebaud paintings, movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and An American in Paris.
Gerwig said he wanted the pinks to be “very bright,” and everything to be “almost too much,” emphasizing her desire to capture the essence of what made her fall in love with Barbie as a child.
The production designer previously told IndieWire that “pink became the film’s thesis,” and that’s when the team was set to find the “perfect pink.”
“It was epic dealing with the painters, mixing the right colors,” the trio detailed.
The director’s goal was “to capture what was so ridiculously fun about the Dreamhouses.”
Greenwood further told Architectural Design that “there ended up being an international shortage of the fluorescent shade of Rosco paint.”
Lauren Proud, vice president of global marketing at Rosco, the paint company used by the film, offered his perspective on the matter to Los Angeles Times.
Proud confirmed to the publication that the film “used as much paint as we had.” However, he added that “the film’s production coincided with global supply chain issues during COVID-19 and extreme weather in Texas.”
“There was this shortage and then we gave them everything we could — I don’t know they can claim credit,” admitting that the production house “did clean us out on paint.”
Barbie features an A-list cast including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Ncuti Gatwa. The highly anticipated film of the year will release in cinemas worldwide on July 21.
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