Michael Cera had a deleted 'Barbie' scene inspired by 'Jaws' (original) (raw)
Michael Cera had a deleted Barbie scene inspired by Jaws that Greta Gerwig 'could not stop laughing' at
It’s one of many that didn’t end up in the movie, says cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto.
When Barbie hit theaters in July, audiences were treated to a manic, eye-popping, incredibly pink spectacle. But several of the movie's scenes didn't make the final cut, including a hilarious one starring Michael Cera's beloved character Allan that was inspired by another big summer blockbuster.
"We did this shot on Allan that emulated Jaws," Barbie cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto told Variety in a new interview, detailing a scrapped moment featuring Ken (Ryan Gosling) and his mysterious pal. "He's terrified [when] Ken hits a wave and then flies in the air. There's a moment where the police officer sees someone being eaten in the water."
Prieto continued, "The camera does this push-in. It's a move where you use a zoom and you're dialing into the character while zooming back at the same time. The effect is that the background changes — the shot, and his performance, [were] very dramatic."
Michael Cera as Allan in 'Barbie'. Everett Collection
Very dramatic, and also very funny. Prieto added that Barbie director Greta Gerwig was a huge fan of the Jaws spoof, saying she "could not stop laughing" when they shot it and that she kept asking the film's video assistant to "replay it for her just to laugh."
While Prieto didn't reveal if we'll ever get to see the shelved tribute to Steven Spielberg's monster-shark classic, he does hope Gerwig releases a Barbie blooper reel. "With Will Ferrell, come on — they should have bloopers from that because he just came up with the craziest stuff," he said. "All the actors around him couldn't avoid laughing. We were all playing, and so many moments of improvisation had to be taken out."
In the movie, Allan has a reputation for being a little odd and aloof, and Cera implied in a recent PEOPLE interview that he might have a bit in common with him, explaining that he wasn't invited to the Barbie group chat because he uses a flip phone. "I still think I wouldn't belong on [the group chat] anyway," he said, "because [my character] Allan is sort of in his own little world."
Michael Cera. Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage
With Barbie, Gerwig became the first solo female director to surpass the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. The flick also overtook The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the highest-grossing film of the year at the domestic box office.
Fans now have a chance to catch at least some never-before-seen scenes from Barbie — it just hit IMAX theaters with post-credits footage for a limited one-week engagement.
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