Ben Affleck almost appeared in the summer hit Barbie, Michael Cera has revealed.
The AV club attended a Q&A where Cera, 35, revealed that Affleck, 51, was supposed to appear in the film’s fight scene but had to drop out due to another film commitment.
Cera – who played sidekick Allan – recalled: ‘I wasn’t supposed to fight in the movie. Can I tell you what it was supposed to be? It had to be Ben Affleck. Right? Can I say that?’
“I think Ben wanted to do it, but he was directing his movie,” he added.
The production team was notified at “the 11th hour” that Ben would not be able to make it, and Cera was placed in the scene instead.
Ben Affleck almost appeared in the summer hit Barbie, Michael Cera has revealed
Affleck was scheduled to appear in the fight scene, but had to drop out at the last minute due to a previous filming commitment; pictured last month with wife Jennifer Lopez
“They say, ‘Okay, Ben’s gone, something has to be done here. So you’re going to fight them.’ So I had to join the stunt team.’
Unfortunately for Cera, he had recently overcome COVID-19 and struggled to participate in training for the big moment.
“I just got over COVID and they let me train, and I almost died. Let’s warm up! I had to lie down in my trailer and they sent the nurse to see me, and I was sent home. So then we had a second rehearsal, and I learned it. That’s basically the story.’
“That was never part of Allan’s journey,” he added. “In rehearsal we did something where I killed the guy with the shovel and it was just a joke, and we were like, ‘Greta won’t let me kill anyone in the movie.’ And it’s in the movie!’
Affleck isn’t the only big name who almost appeared in the film; Dany Levy, Ben Platt and Bowen Yang were also unable to join the cast.
Most of the film was shot in London, but the three couldn’t commit to spending three months in the city.
“They were, I’m not kidding, very disappointed that they couldn’t do it,” Barbie casting director Allison Jones said. Vanity fair.
The film was a huge success and has now been nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for America Ferrera and Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling.
Cera revealed that Affleck would appear in the film’s fight scene
He did not make it clear what role he would have played in the battle
The film recently sparked controversy after Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig failed to receive individual Oscar nods
But lead actor Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig were both snubbed for individual Oscar nominations, and controversy erupted.
Gosling subsequently released a statement expressing his disappointment at the criticism, writing: “There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making , globally celebrated film. .’
Margot broke her silence following the nominations controversy earlier this month during a SAG-AFTRA panel discussion.
Robbie played the eponymous Barbie doll whose life changes after she enters the real world
“You can’t feel sad knowing you’re so blessed,” she began, adding that she was “beyond ecstatic” with the film’s eight Oscar nominations.
“It’s just incredible that everyone is getting the nods that they’ve had, and the best photo nod,” she continued.
“People’s reactions to the film have been the biggest reward of this whole experience,” she added.
‘I can’t imagine a time when a film has had this effect on culture. And it’s great to be in the eye of the storm.”