The Barbie movie seemingly has it all — multiple dance numbers, a cheeky Bratz reference, amazing outfits — but if it were up to director Greta Gerwig, it would have had even more. And no, we are not talking about more A-listers added to the cast; we are talking about an… ahem… complete "fart opera."
During a recent appearance on IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, Greta Gerwig herself revealed she wanted to include a "giant fart opera" in the middle of the Barbie movie. "I thought it was really funny," the director admitted, "[but] that was not the consensus [from the test audience.]"
Gerwig and long-time collaborator Nick Houy, who was the film's main editor, admitted the gassy symphony actually made it about two-thirds through the film's edit until it was inevitably cut for the final version. Why? Well, according to Houy, the main reason was simple: “It was in the wrong place.”
“We had a lot of fart jokes in this one, so I thought there was a chance we would get one in,” Houy continued. “A much higher chance of it being in a Barbie movie than in Little Women but [laughs].”
Instead, the film went for a star-studded soundtrack featuring the likes of Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, and many, many more. But, yes, in a parallel universe, Billie Eilish's heart wrenching "What Was I Made For" and an operatic fart moment coexist. Let that sink in.
Funnily enough, this isn't the first time Gerwig and Houy have tried to sneak in a fart joke in a movie. "We've always tried to get in a proper fart joke, and we've never done it," Gerwig lamented on the podcast. The duo also tried to add a bit of flatulence into both Lady Bird and Little Women, but, much like the case with Barbie, the fart jokes were also removed shortly before the final edit.
If you are pro gassy humor, rest assured, because Barbie won't be the last time Gerwig and Houy will fight for the farts. "We need to work it into a more significant narrative moment next time," Houy admitted on the podcast, optimistic for the next opportunity to do so. So, keep an eye out for their next collab.
Now, for research purposes only: Does anyone know who at Mattel we need to call up to get the uncut version of Barbie? We are joking, of course. Unless…
