Barbie: Why Writer Barbie Looks So Familiar To Marvel Fans
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" has finally leaped into cinemas, showing the world just how unique and diverse the doll can be. The director has roped in an impressive amount of talent for "Barbie," which is clearly evident from the film's two lead stars: Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the Warner Bros. flick. But the buck doesn't stop at the Oscar-nominated stars, as "Barbie" is filled to the brim with familiar faces.
In the meta-take on the iconic doll, audiences get to see a number of different Barbie iterations. While the film follows "Stereotypical Barbie" (Robbie), Gerwig is equally interested in exploring all the potential and power Barbie has to offer, showing off different versions of the doll who populate Barbieland. There's President Barbie (Issa Rae), Mermaid Barbie (Dua Lipa), Dr. Barbie (Hari Nef), and a whole host of other Barbies who make Barbieland the perfect utopia.
One Barbie who particularly stands out is Writer Barbie. In Gerwig's pink masterpiece, Writer Barbie is a celebrated author who breaks boundaries, emerging as one of Barbieland's most prominent thought leaders. Writer Barbie is played by Alexandra Shipp, who continues to be one of Hollywood's most exciting stars. While speaking with Interview Magazine, Shipp opened up about her version of the Mattel doll. "But my [Barbie] is a writer, so she's not sitting there pushing around pens with all of her fingers closed," Shipp discussed. "She won a Nobel Prize," the actress added.
For Marvel fans, Writer Barbie must particularly stand out. While Shipp has appeared in a number of projects over the last decade, she's most well-known for lending her talents to 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" franchise. In the Marvel franchise, the Writer Barbie plays the all-powerful Storm, a character once populated by Halle Berry.
The Writer Barbie star played Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse
Alexandra Shipp first joined the world of Marvel with 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse," the direct sequel to 2014's critically-acclaimed "X-Men: Days of Future Past." In "Apocalypse," the X-Men have to fend off the all-powerful Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), a mutant from ancient Egypt who seeks to control the world. Hoping to become as powerful as he can, the nefarious Apocalypse recruits several different talented mutants to help him defeat the X-Men. One such follower is Storm, played by Shipp. The character was previously played by Halle Berry in the original "X-Men" films from the early 2000s.
For Shipp, taking on the role of Storm was a major career win. While she had a number of credits to her name prior to playing the Marvel character, "X-Men: Apocalypse" served as her big break. In conversation with Tom Green (via Larry King Now), Shipp opened up about how playing Storm was a life-changing experience. "It definitely changed my life... She was the first female black superhero, so being able to, kind of, embody that was really monumental for me," Shipp said. The Storm actor continued by discussing how she was a fan of both the "X-Men" cartoons and comics in her youth, making her connection to the character all the more personal.
Preparing for the role of Storm was a challenge, Shipp admitted to Green, opening up about how she had to live up to Berry's performance. "It was a real challenge because not only am I going off of comic books and cartoons, but I'm also going off of Halle Berry's previous performance," Shipp said. "I gotta do it like Halle, everyone's going to be expecting that. But then I had to take a step back and go, 'They're not going to be expecting it.'"
Alexandra Shipp reprised her Marvel role in Dark Phoenix
Alexandra Shipp ultimately made the character of Storm her own, returning as the character in 2019's "Dark Phoenix." In "Dark Phoenix," Storm is redeemed and no longer a follower of Apocalypse. Now a key member of the X-Men, Storm and the rest of the team band together to stop Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) from unleashing her powers. While "Dark Phoenix" does highlight Storm's powers and attitude as a leader, Shipp hoped that the character would be able to embrace her own project in the future. While speaking with ComicBook, Shipp expressed how she would like to return to the role alongside Halle Berry in a solo film that emphasizes just how powerful Storm is. "I think it'd be really cool if you had me and Halle [Berry] both teaming up together and fighting a baddie," Shipp said in 2019.
However, in 2023, the Marvel universe is in a drastically different state. Now that Disney owns the rights to the "X-Men," it's expected that cinematic franchise will be rebooted, meaning Shipp and the rest of her "Dark Phoenix" cast members will likely be recast. With her future as Storm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe unknown, Shipp seems to be at peace with the franchise. "I loved the experience. I think it was so definitive of my 20s to be part of that," Shipp told ComicBookMovie in 2022. "I'd never worked on anything so big and to also be able to play not only one of my favourite superheroes growing up, but also reprising a role Halle Berry played was a huge honour."
It's not like Shipp needs the Marvel gig now, as the Writer Barbie star has appeared in a number of key roles in the last few years.
Writer Barbie has appeared in Love Simon, Tick, Tick... Boom!, and more
Following her performance in "X-Men: Apocalypse," Alexandra Shipp became one of Hollywood's most prominent rising talents. 2018 proved to be a major year for Shipp, as she starred in the teen romantic-comedy "Love, Simon." While chatting with the University of Washington's Film Club, Shipp opened up about how she wanted the film to have an impact on the LGBTQ+ community. "I wank kids to know that they're valued, that they can have love, that they deserve love, that they're able to have those types of things," Shipp said. In the film, Shipp plays Abby, one of Simon's (Nick Robinson) good friends. 2018 also saw Shipp return as Storm for a brief cameo in "Deadpool 2" alongside the rest of her "Dark Phoenix" cast.
Shipp's career continued to grow, with her CV including performances in films like the 2019 "Shaft" reboot and the romantic drama "Endless." 2021 saw the release of Lin Lin-Manuel Miranda's Netflix adaptation of the musical biopic "Tick, Tick... Boom!" The film quickly became a fan favorite for musical and theatre nerds across the world, nabbing two Oscar nominees. In the musical, Shipp plays Susan, the girlfriend of Andrew Garfield's Jonathan Larson, the creator of the hit musical "Rent."
In the film, Susan is at odds with Larson, a creative who just can't get his big break. Shipp was immediately drawn to "Tick, Tick... Boom!" as a fan of Larson. While speaking with Town & Country, Shipp said that she "dove into it" as she could also relate to Susan's character. The biopic notably saw Shipp utilize her talents as a singer.
Now, Shipp headlines "Barbie" as Writer Barbie, proving that she's one of Hollywood's most versatile working stars.