Billie Eilish and Greta Gerwig have a major hit on their hands with Barbie’s viral track “What Was I Made For,” and on top of their deserved success bringing me so much joy, their friendship is also something to marvel at. Every chance I get to see the cast and crew of the pretty in pink film together and smiling, I’m over the moon. However, after seeing the singer and director together at the AFI Fest, I really wish I could have been a fly on the wall, so I could simply witness what it would be like to hang out with them.
As Barbie continues to be a primary point of pop culture discussion, Gerwig and the gang behind her movie’s soundtrack got together at the AFI Fest in Los Angeles. They were all photographed at Harriet's Rooftop, and it looked like they were having a blast. However, the real highlight of all this was seeing Eilish and Gerwig hugging and smiling from ear to ear:
Isn’t that the cutest thing ever? I really wanted to be a fly on the wall and hear everything these two were discussing. Maybe they were celebrating the massive hit that is “What Was I Made For” and Barbie, maybe they were chatting about a future collaboration or maybe they were simply hanging out as friends. No matter what though, I would have loved to witness it, because they looked like they were having a ball with quite a few of the other artists featured on the film’s soundtrack.
While the cast of Barbie likely couldn’t be there because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the musical gang got together to celebrate the film and the festival. This included folks like producer and Margot Robbie’s husband Tom Ackerley, Eilish’s brother and collaborator Finneas, Gerwig’s co-screenwriter and significant other Noah Baumbach, Mark Ronson, who produced the soundtrack and score, and Dua Lipa, who sings the disco dance track “Dance The Night.”
While I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at this party, I also would have adored simply going to the AFI Fest to see the films the Oscar-nominated director curated for it. She was the guest artistic director for the festival, per THR, and she picked out films like All That Jazz, An American in Paris, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and more to show.
Overall, it was so fun to see the fantasy flick's musical team having a blast! They certainly all have a lot to celebrate. Along with Barbie getting rave reviews overall and some of the tracks becoming pop hits, “What Was I Made For” seems like an Oscar contender, and it wouldn’t be shocking if a few other songs snag nominations as well. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas already have one golden statue, and it feels like they could easily get another one for this film. The smile I have just thinking about that is similar to the joy they seem to be feeling in this photo from the event:
Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of the Barbie team back together again in the near future. I know I’d love to hear them all discuss the movie and making it more, and I’d be especially interested to know how Gerwig and Eilish’s relationship has evolved, because they seem to be great friends now.
While that’s simply a dream I have, what’s not a dream anymore is the Barbie movie, which is available to buy and rent online. After you watch the film and cry along to “What Was I Made For,” be sure to check out the 2023 movie schedule to plan your next trip to the movie theater.
