The Cast Of Barbie And Their Real-Life Partners

In an age of streaming giants and increased cine-cynicism, the cultural phenomenon that is the "Barbie" movie is undoubtedly a rarity. The marketing for the 2023 film has been nothing short of genius, that remarkable feat of a flick that generates considerable buzz months ahead of its release. Amid all the turmoil of the past three years, there's no denying that we are in desperate need of some escapism. So excuse us as we pull up to the movie theater in a little pink corvette and over-the-top fits, because we are prepared to make "Barbie" our entire personality for the foreseeable future.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the film is its epic and ever expanding cast. Trust Greta Gerwig, the erstwhile darling of mumblecore turned indie auteur turned big budget directorial girlboss, to come up with an ensemble as scintillating as this — and one that's generating memes before the film has even hit theaters. From Margot Robbie sliding her arched feet into her perfectly plastic jelly shoes to stills of Ryan Gosling rollerblading in his kaleidoscopic finery (before being challenged to a "beach off"), the actors appear to be relishing their roles as Mattel merch machines. But as expected from Gerwig, the cast is comprised of both A-listers and up-and-coming stars ready to make their mark on the cinematic landscape.

As our collective feverish anticipation takes hold of us, let's think pink and have a look at the cast of "Barbie" and their real-life partners.

We can't imagine anyone else taking on the role of the iconic Mattel doll with the aplomb of Margot Robbie. The actor is busy dazzling fans on the red carpet with her bubblegum Barbie-inspired fits throughout the movie's promotional tour. All the while, her husband has been quietly making appearances at said premieres in support of his lady love (he even sweetly helped an eager fan meet Robbie at the "Barbie" premiere in Seoul).

Robbie first met Tom Ackerley, a British producer who's worked on a number of her films, on the set of "Suite Française" in 2013. They were reunited the following year when Robbie invited him to the London premiere of "The Wolf of Wall Street" and, in true Millennial fashion, they soon began living in a London house share. "We just get along," Robbie told Vogue. "I think it's crazy that not all couples get along." Early on, the duo's relationship was put to the test due to their conflicting work schedules. As Robbie shared with The Daily Telegraph, she maintained her sanity by abiding by the "three week rule"; that is, she and Ackerley live by the promise that their work will never keep them apart for longer than three weeks.

The pair tied the knot in a quiet, unpublicized ceremony in 2016 and have since relocated to Los Angeles. Opening up about married life to Porter (via Grazia), Robbie gushed, "Being married is actually the most fun ever, life got way more fun somehow."

He's just Ken. But IRL, the man with the tanned pecs and bleached locks is played by a dedicated hubby and father. In 2011, Ryan Gosling fell in love with fellow actor Eva Mendes on the set of "The Place Beyond the Pines" and the attractive twosome were soon spotted getting cozy at Disneyland. Mendes gave birth to their first child, Esmeralda Amada, in 2014 and they welcomed a second daughter, Amada Lee, two years later.

Despite the couple's A-list status, they prefer things low-key. Responding to a fan on Instagram (via People) who expressed their desire for Mendes to walk arm in arm with her beau at the "Barbie" premiere, the "Hitch" actor explained that she and Gosling aim to keep their relationship as private as possible. Indeed, they rarely appear on the red carpet together and neither of them post photos of their kids on social media (Gosling himself is rather social media averse).

But this private couple is evidently a happy one. Chatting to GQ, Gosling revealed that Mendes is the woman he had always been searching for. "After I met Eva, I realized that I just didn't want to have kids without her," he said. "And there were moments on The Place Beyond the Pines where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn't really want it to be pretend anymore. I realized that this would be a life I would be really lucky to have."

When he's not challenging Ryan Gosling to a hilarious beach off, Canadian actor Simu Liu is utterly dedicated to his girlfriend Allison Hsu. Named one of Forbes' "30 Under 30" in 2022, Hsu is a digital marketing manager at Interscope Records and has worked on behalf of superstars like Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga.

Liu and Hsu made it Instagram official in November 2022, when the latter shared an adorable snap of the couple cuddling amid twinkling lights. Exhibiting his quintessentially cheeky sense of humor, Liu commented on the pic, "Omg can't believe I got a photo with the girl from PopCrave." A few days later, the couple made their red carpet debut when Hsu accompanied her beau to the "Violent Night" premiere (and both wearing matching Xmas sweaters, no less).

The couple soon escaped from the chilly Los Angeles weather conditions by embarking on a tropical island vacation. Liu shared a photo of the palpably elated young lovers on Instagram, sweetly declaring, "From Christmas sweater weather to tropical beach and everything in between, you are simply breathtaking." Chatting to People after returning from the vacation, Liu gushed over his lady love. "She's a bada**, she's a fighter, and she's very, very passionate about all things in life, her work, her job, and her other things," he said. "And that's a language that I speak very well, and I am happy to see where it goes."

Issa Rae is the president we have long been waiting for — okay, in the Barbie universe, but a fan can dream. Away from the cameras, she's in a loving relationship with her husband, businessman Louis Diame.

Though Diame has been dubbed Rae's long-term partner, it's unclear when they met, with the "Insecure" creator opting to maintain an air of mystery when it comes to her private life. "I get so much feedback about everything," she told Marie Claire in 2018. "The one thing I don't need feedback on is who I'm sleeping with." A 2012 Washington Post interview with Rae refers to Diame as her boyfriend, so they have been an item for over a decade (he even made a fleeting appearance in "Awkward Black Girl").

The couple tied the knot in a fairytale ceremony in July 2021, with Diame draped in a striking red velvet suit, contrasted against the glowing bride's princess gown. Chatting to Self that year, Rae opened up about the joys of married life, but criticized the pressures foisted upon Black women to have their lives mapped out ahead of them, namely when the subject of having kids arises. "I'm extremely happy," she enthused, adding, "I've always felt that way, that women, Black women especially... you have a window... I want to do as much as I can while I still can. I know it's not the proper mentality to think that kids will slow you down, but I do feel that way."

If there's one thing a Barbie movie needs (in addition to a plethora of pink, obvs) it's a stuffy suit ready to destroy everyone's fun. And there's no one better to play that role than Mr. Ron Burgundy himself, aka Will Ferrell. Though he often plays odious characters, Ferrell is devoted to his wife, Swedish art collector Viveca Paulin.

Ferrell first met Paulin in the mid '90s, when he was undertaking acting classes following his college graduation. Though the pair dated, "Saturday Night Live" ended up tearing them apart, with Ferrell relocating to New York and embarking on a relationship with another woman. "Viv and I would talk as friends for two hours, and it would feel like five minutes," he told Elle, "and then my girlfriend would call and after 15 minutes I'd be like, 'God, it's really late here on the East Coast. I should get some sleep.' For me, Viv was the one that got away."

The pair were eventually reunited when Ferrell returned to Los Angeles and Paulin confessed her feelings for him. Soon, he popped the question. Chatting to People, he said that he attempted a romantic twilit proposal at the beach. "She was like, 'The beach is creepy at night.' I was like, 'Shut up, this is supposed to be really romantic,'" he joked. They said "I do" in 2000, later welcoming three sons. With the couple going strong after two decades, it seems that humor is key to their longevity.

Trust "Saturday Night Live" alumnus Kate McKinnon, a woman as adept at impersonating Justin Bieber as she is donning a receding hairline to mimic Jeff Sessions, to be cast as one of the most fun dolls in the Barbieverse. As McKinnon dished on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," she was brought on to play "the one Barbie that you designate as like, her. Where you cut their hair, burn their clothes, and draw on them."

The funnywoman was first linked to Jackie Abbott in 2016 when the pair attended a Broadway show together. Although it's unknown when the couple first met, they made it red carpet official at the Emmys in 2017, where they were seen getting rather cozy in their seats. Following the ceremony, their relationship was confirmed by "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Michelle Visage, who posted a snap of the beaming couple on Instagram. "Her girlfriend Jackie was just as lovely as she is!!" Visage wrote.

McKinnon is known for being a deeply private person (she has totally sworn off having a social media presence) and it seems that her lady love also opts to keep a low profile. Abbott is an actor and photographer who shows off her impressive portfolio on Instagram under the name JMA Photography, but private snapshots of her life are nowhere to be seen. "I just... I decided in my mid-20s that I didn't feel comfortable sharing personal details like I had in the previous few years," McKinnon explained to GQ in 2018.

From "Ugly Betty" to "Barbie," America Ferrera is the queen of sartorial TV and movies. Despite only being in her late 30s, she's been in a relationship with Ryan Piers Williams, an actor/writer/director, for almost two decades. The couple are college sweethearts, having met as students at the University of Southern California circa 2005. In 2020, Ferrera opened up about the young lovers' first date all those years ago. "These baby faces fell hard and fast in love," she wrote in an anniversary tribute to Williams on Instagram. "They grew up together. They built a life together... You have always felt like home to me @ryanpierswilliams since our first 9-hour-meeting over enchiladas & refried beans."

The couple got engaged in 2010, with Ferrera expressing her joy to People. "We kind of connected from the get-go on that professional level and that was something that really drew us to each other," she said, "a shared passion for what we do and our work." The following year, they wed in a small private ceremony. They have two children together: son Sebastian, born in 2018, and daughter Lucia Marisol, born two years later.

In addition to their aforementioned mutual artistic interests, Ferrera and Williams share a passion for activism and founded a nonprofit, Harness, in 2016. In a joint interview with Vogue, the couple emphasized the importance of activism in their lives. "Some of us don't have the privilege of living our lives outside of politics," Ferrera stated.

Dua Lipa, aka Mermaid Barbie, is evidently relishing her role in the movie. On Instagram, the songstress delighted fans when she recreated the viral "Barbie" clip of the Mattel icon slipping her pointy feet out of some fluffy heels (she also posed by a pink car in a matching swimsuit, an apparent nod to the flick). When she's not breaking the internet, Lipa is busy getting loved up with her boyfriend, Romain Gavras.

The Frenchman is the son of acclaimed Greek filmmaker Costa-Gavras, an auteur famed for his politically charged films. Following in his father's footsteps, Gavras has gained recognition for his own work as a director, both on the big and small screens. Notably, he directed the music video for M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls" and the award-winning "Gosh" for Jamie XX. Clearly exhibiting a penchant for British pop superstars, Gavras began dating Lipa after splitting from Rita Ora. The pair were first spotted together at the BAFTAS afterparty in London in February 2023, but insiders told The Sun that they actually hooked up in December, having been introduced through mutual friends.

They made their red carpet debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May, with the stylish couple walking hand in hand in matching black ensembles. Lipa made it Insta official in July, posting a birthday tribute to her man along with a snap of the couple taking an aesthetically pleasing romantic stroll. As Lipa once told Elle, "I'm such a firm believer in love." We stan.

In recent years, wrestler John Cena has followed a path not dissimilar from fellow WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, proving himself highly adept at comedic fare. As such, we can't wait to see him merman it up in "Barbie" — well, if we can finally see Cena, that is.

After splitting from fiancée Nikki Bella in 2018, Cena fell hard and fast for Iranian-born Canadian engineer Shay Shariatzadeh, whom he met when filming the 2019 movie "Playing with Fire" in Vancouver. Speaking to ET, Cena's co-star Keegan-Michael Key spilled the tea on how the couple met. "There was one woman I was looking at and I couldn't take my eyes off her," Cena was said to have told Key after spotting Shariatzadeh at a restaurant. "That's when it started." While Cena himself was somewhat more reticent with the deets, he sweetly gushed over his paramour, revealing that "Playing with Fire" will always hold a place in his heart for uniting him with Shariatzadeh. "What's truly special about this one is that, no matter what projects I'm involved in in the future, this one will always have a special meaning," he said.

In 2020, the couple walked down the aisle in a private ceremony in Florida. Proving that he truly is a wife guy, Cena waxed lyrically about Shariatzadeh during a sit-down with "Today." When asked what he loves most about his wife, he declared, "She loves me for who I am, and I love her for exactly who she is."

Every devoted Barbie collector remembers Ken's ill-fated BFF Allan. The redheaded doll was always in the shadow of his more popular male counterpart, so how apt that he's portrayed by the unconventional Michael Cera in the "Barbie" movie.

While Cera is often cast as the underdog who struggles to get the girl, IRL he's happily married to his long term partner, Nadine. Little is known about Nadine (including her last name), but she is believed to be German. In 2014, Cera appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman," where he discussed going on a road trip with his new German girlfriend, who had stepped foot in the US for the first time. When Letterman asked the actor how he met his European SO, he remained tight-lipped and instead quipped, "Someone told me that the German ones were good, so..." That year, he released a song entitled "ohNadine (you were in my dream)," seemingly confirming that his anonymous German sweetheart was in fact Nadine.

The couple are believed to have said "I do" in 2017, with Cera having been spotted wearing an apparent wedding ring in January that year. In an interview with ET in 2022, Amy Schumer, who starred alongside Cera in "Life & Beth," accidentally let slip that he and Nadine had welcomed their first child together. "We're right at the beginning of it," Cera added of his and Nadine's struggles as first-time parents. "We're doing the very basics right now."

Emerald Fennell is the woman who gave us kicka** feminist classic "Promising Young Woman," so it's fitting that she's teamed up with another actor-turned-director, Greta Gerwig, for the "Barbie" movie. In it, Fennell plays Barbie's auburn-locked bestie, Midge.

The Oscar winner is married to director and producer Chris Vernon. The couple have collaborated together in the past, with Vernon producing the 2018 short film "Careful How You Go," which was written and directed by his wife. They also collaborated on a short film for Ted Talks that year, with Fennell tweeting her excitement at the project.

They have two children together, born in 2019 and 2021. Chatting to RogerEbert.com, Fennell addressed the challenges of directing her feature length debut, "Promising Young Woman," while heavily pregnant with the couple's first child. "Like a lot of women, I was terrified that it would stop everything in its tracks," she explained. "But women do much harder things... than direct films when they're seven months' pregnant." Although the couple prefer to keep their private life to themselves, Fennell has discussed how her marriage has influenced her filmmaking thought process, particularly when it comes to gender dynamics. "How easy would it be for me to get a drunk, teenage girl into my car?" she told Empire regarding an infamous scene in her aforementioned directorial debut. "And how hard would it be for my husband? My husband couldn't do it without snatching her and I thought, 'What would I do?' And it's what Cassie does in the film."

Beloved thespian Helen Mirren provides the narration for "Barbie," a role that she was stoked to take on. "I thought it was an incredibly funny, fun thing to be involved in," she told Vanity Fair.

In 1985, Mirren met American director Taylor Hackford on the set of the film "White Nights" and the pair swiftly fell in love. Hackford, who is best known for directing the Richard Gere vehicle "An Officer and a Gentleman," has two sons from his previous relationships, one of whom sadly died of cancer in 2022. In a joint interview with AARP, Mirren revealed that it was Hackford's commitment to his children that endeared her towards him. Meanwhile, he told the outlet that his relationship with Mirren didn't get off to the best start, with the latter divulging her displeasure at the director for keeping her waiting. "It was a strange way to meet Helen, because she is a lovely person," he recalled, "but she didn't hold back her fury."

Over a decade after meeting, the couple tied the knot in 1997. Speaking to People following the couple's 25th wedding anniversary in 2022, Mirren revealed that she and her hubby are as much in love with each other now as they were on the day they met. "You're constantly discovering, learning about the person you love, who suddenly, completely surprises you," she reflected. "You find depths of courage or patience or generosity or that you just didn't know were there."