Issa Raeis opening up about the body positivity journey she went through while filming the newBarbiemovie.
The 38-year-old actress spoke toGlamourabout initially feeling like she wasn’t in “Barbie shape” when she was cast as “President Barbie.”
“Right before [the role came to me], I was post-Insecure, post–Rap Sh!t, and post-the-final-season-of-Insecure-press-tour. I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to let myself go. I’m eating everything,’” she told the outlet. “And then I got the call to doBarbieand was like, ‘Oh, no, I am not Barbie-shape ready.’ But then I realized [directorGreta Gerwig]‘sBarbieworld consists of all body types. So, while I was still on my fitness journey, I felt less insecure about my Barbie body or lack thereof.”
Rae admitted that she even had a conversation with Gerwig, 39, about body image and representation and quickly learned that she was prioritizing casting a diverse group of actors.
“That was something that I was concerned about too — who are the other Barbies, and what do they look like?” she said. “I saw that immediately on my first day when I was doing the dance sequence rehearsal. There were so many different types of Barbies, and so many different types of Kens. Some able-bodied, ages, genders. Greta did her best to try to include everybody.”
James Gourley/Getty Images
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Barbie Land is perfect. Everyone in Barbie Land is a perfect Barbie. I found that so beautiful,” theInsecurealum continued. “Almost everyone in the world is represented in some way here. That’s not an easy piece. I’m sure someone might be like, ‘Where am I?’ But know that there was such an effort made to have Barbie Land be inclusive.”
In a behind-the-scenes clip from the film, Gerwig, the film’s starMargot Robbieand a number of other actors who portray Barbies in the film spoke to the movie’s representation and emphasis on how everyone — and anyone — can be Barbie.
“Something that was really important to me is that making sure everyone could see themselves as Barbie or see themselves as a Ken," said Gerwig, who cowrote the movie with her partnerNoah Baumbach.
“Not every Barbie is the same Barbie, and not every girl is the same girl,“Alexandra Shippadded. “And to see yourself really does change your perspective.”
source: people.com
