Margot Robbie says there's a reason Barbie's accent has to be GenAm

Margot Robbie has revealed there is a reason Barbie has a GenAm accent in the upcoming flick.

Despite originally being from Australia, the actor had to perfect the non-descript American accent to portray the living doll.

However, this wasn’t the only hurdle she had to overcome as the 32-year-old stepped into those iconic stilettos.

In fact, Robbie wasn’t actually the first choice to play Barbie even though she had an uncanny resemblance to the character.

Instead, comedian and actor Amy Schumer had been initially cast long before Robbie was considered for the role.

However, delays and scheduling conflicts repeatedly stopped the project from getting off the ground.

“They definitely didn't want to do it the way I wanted to do it, the only way I was interested in doing it," she revealed to The Hollywood Reporter, adding that her version of Barbie would have been an ambitious inventor, but the studio wanted the invention to be a high heel made of jelly.

Schumer added: “The idea that that's just what every woman must want, right there, I should have gone, 'You've got the wrong gal'."

While fans might be sad about what might have been, they’ve been going wild over Robbie’s version of the beloved doll.

Warner Brothers

Even before the official trailer dropped, the actor broke the internet after she was spotted filming on Venice Beach.

While the pink denim cowboy outfit may have become an iconic fashion moment, fans were even more excited to hear the character’s bubbly high-pitched accent.

What they might not know though is that character has a specific accent, as Barbie should sound like she could be from anywhere within the US.

She revealed this to Vogue, adding that the doll’s voice changes as she struggles to get to grips with reality in the highly anticipated film.

"General American accent. It’s called GenAm.

“Everything is very definite. There’s no second thought. There’s no hesitation,” Robbie told the magazine.

However, viewers may not know that the Neighbours star lowers her voice and adds more pauses after (spoiler alert) something major happens to the Kens.

While the plot of the film is still very much under wraps, the latest teaser trailer has gone viral as Robbie utters the iconic line ‘Hi Barbie’.

Barbie will hit cinemas on 21 July.

Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film, Margot Robbie

Katherine Sidnell

Katherine is an entertainment journalist with a love of all things nerdy. Starting out writing Doctor Who fan fiction as a kid, she has gone on to interview the likes of Matt Damon, James May and Dua Lipa to name a few. Published in The Sun, The Daily Mail and Evening Standard - she now joins Ladbible as resident nerd in chief.

@ksidnell