Shonda Rhimes weighs in on public expectations from Margot Robbie's 'Barbie'

Greta Gerwig's Barbie has been in the limelight since its release in July 2023.

Although the film garnered appreciation from fans all over the world, it continues to remain under scrutiny for several other reasons.

Shonda Rhimes, producer of Netflix show Bridgerton, recently reflected on her views on the film, saying that it “didn’t need to be a feminist manifesto.”

Speaking exclusively to Variety, Rhimes admitted that she wasn’t dazzled by the film, explaining that the audience had put too much “weight” on Barbie.

When the producer was asked about her interest in the film, Rhimes didn’t hesitate to admit that she “saw the Barbie movie at home,” prior to saying “no comment” in response to the question.

The producer, who rose to fame after her spectacular work on the Netflix original series, explained that people had high expectations from the film and expected it to make a profound cultural statement.

Speaking on the subject, she continued: “If you’re expecting a ‘Barbie’ movie, then I thought it was great,” Rhimes said. 

“But I think a lot of people were expecting so much more, and then tried to make it so much more. There was nothing wrong with the movie; I thought it was totally delightful.”

“But the weight people put on a movie about Barbie was very interesting to me. […] But, yeah, I think that people wanted it to be sort of this feminist manifesto that it doesn’t need to be.”