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Trans 'Barbie' Star Shares Part Of Letter She Wrote To Greta Gerwig That Helped Her Land The Role

Hari Nef
Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Hari Nef was almost unable to be in the film due to a scheduling issue, but her letter to director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie sealed the deal.

As if we weren't already excitedly anticipating the release of Greta Gerwig's Barbiemovie...

The film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has already gotten some hype solely based off of viral photos of the two in their Mattel 'fits.


Even if they didn't thrill the film's star.

But now, we have a sneak peak of all the dolls living in Barbieworld.

We might just bust.

Many on social media noticed right away trans actor Hari Nef was included on the character poster for the flick...




... but according to the actor, it almost didn't happen.

After being cast, Nef realized there was a scheduling conflict with filming, but she just had to be in the film.

Nef shared her promo picture on Instagram and revealed she sent a heartfelt letter to Gerwig—the film's director—and Robbie "essentially begging them to fudge the schedule a little bit, as I had big feelings about wanting to join this film."

In her post, the Transparent star shared part of the letter.

"This is a big movie, made by a team whose work has played no small role in cultivating my love of sitting in the dark in front of big screens for an hour or two."
"But that's just a part of why I want—my heart says 'need'—to join in the making of this film."
"Identity politics and cinema aren't my favorite combination, but the name BARBIE looms large over every American woman."
"Barbie's the standard; she's The Girl; she's certainly THE doll."

Nef continued that she and her transgender girlfriends refer to themselves as "the dolls."

"Maybe it's a bid to ratify our femininity, to smile and sneer at the standards we're held to as women."

Nef added they use it jokingly and theatrically when saying it, but still:

"... underneath the word 'doll' is the shape of a woman who is not quite a woman—recognizable as such, but still a fake."

She finished:

"'Doll' is fraught, glamorous; she is, and she isn't. We call ourselves 'the dolls' in the face of everything we know we are, never will be, hope to be."
"We yell the word because the word matters."
"And no doll matters more than Barbie."

Barbie's Insta account commented on the post:

"It'll be so worth the wait ✨"

@harinef/Instagram

And Nef's Barbie co-star Dua Lipa also chimed in:

"HI BARBIE!"

@harinef/Instagram

Others soon followed suit, congratulating the actor on her well-earned role.

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

@harinef/Instagram

Barbie is set to open in theaters July 21... and we can't wait!

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