Emma MacKey confirms appearance in Barbie and fan theory about the film %%

Come on Barbie(s)...

It's official, one of our favourite Sex Education stars, Emma Mackey is joining the upcoming - and hotly anticipated - Barbie film. As well as confirming the news, it seems like Emma has given weight to a fan theory about the storyline too.

Directed by US actress and director, Great Gerwig, the live-action Barbie film, will also star Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the iconic Barbie and Ken duo. Fans though have a theory that there will be multiple versions of both Barbie and Ken.

Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, Emerald Fennell, Scott Evans, and Hari Nef are also lined up for the film. The involvement of so many big names has only fuelled the theory that there will be more than one Barbie and Ken in the movie.

Chatting to Esquire magazine, Emma described a fun sounding sleepover which Greta had organised for the cast ahead of filming.

“Right in the beginning, we had a sleepover for the Barbies, which would involve playing games with Scott [Evans] and Ncuti [Gatwa],” Mackey said, hinting at the aforementioned idea.

One of the games the starry sleepover played was table tennis apparently, and it seems that the 26-year-old actress is a dab hand at it. “I don’t play games usually, because I get so competitive and angry. But Scott and I were top of the game,” shared Emma.

Having recently taken on the heavy weight of playing English literature icon, Brontë in Frances O’Connor’s biopic Emily, Emma says she appreciated moving on to something lighter in tone.

"It’s great to do comedy, because Emily was a sad, dark drama,” she told Esquire describing the Barbie film as "light", "funny" "silly" and "pink."

In what seems possibly the funnest film set of the year, images of Margot and Ryan roller skating on Venice Beach in vibrant outfits recently emerged. We've also seen the pair rocking some eye catching cowboy outfits.

We can't wait to see what role Mackey plays and the outfits she'll wear - if there anything like Margot's and Ryan's, we're in for a treat. The film, which started production in spring this year, is due out in July 2023.

Amy Sedghi is a freelance journalist, specialising in health and fitness, travel, beauty, sustainability and cycling.

Having started her career in The Guardian newsroom working with an award-winning team, Amy's proud to have reported on a variety of topics, speaking to a range of voices and travelling far and wide to do so. From interviews on ski lifts to writing up breaking stories outside courtrooms, Amy is used to reporting from a range of locations (she’s even been known to type up a story in a tent).

She also loves being active, spending time outdoors and travelling - with some of her favourite features she’s worked on combining all three. Cycling and eating her way round the Isle of Man, learning to sail on the Côte d'Azur and traversing the Caminito del Rey path in Spain are just some of her highlights.

Covering a diverse range of subjects appeals to Amy. One minute she may be writing about her online styling session with Katie Holmes’ stylist and the next she’s transporting readers to the basketball courts of Haringey where she joined a group trying to lower knife crime in the capital.

While at university, Amy was awarded The Media Society bursary. Following her stint at the Guardian, Amy worked at Google and as well as writing for Marie Claire, she regularly contributes interviews, features and articles to National Geographic Traveller, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph, Stylist, Refinery29, Glorious Sport, Cycling Weekly and Rouleur.

When she’s not writing, Amy can be found trying to get through her towering stack of books-to-read, cycling down at Herne Hill Velodrome or looking for the next place to eat and drink with friends.