Bridgerton showrunner Shonda Rhimes throws subtle shade at Barbie movie and says ‘people tried to make Margot Robbie blockbuster so much more’ than it was

Bridgerton showrunner Shonda Rhimes has thrown shade at the Barbie movie, saying people were “trying to make the movie so much more” than in a new barbed interview.

Rhimes, 54, who is gearing up for the May 16 premiere of Bridgerton’s third season, initially said “no comment” when asked for her thoughts on Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s blockbuster before commenting on its “feminist manifesto’ of the film.

She said Variety: ‘Okay, this is what I’ll say. If you’re expecting a Barbie movie, I loved it.

“But I think a lot of people expected so much more and then tried to make it so much more. There was nothing wrong with the movie; I found it absolutely delicious. But I found the weight that people gave to a movie about Barbie very interesting.

“I’ve heard the song I’m Just Ken every day in my house because one of my kids sings it all the time. But yeah, I think people wanted it to be some kind of feminist manifesto, which isn’t necessary.”

Rhimes, 54, who is gearing up for the May 16 premiere of Bridgerton’s third season, initially said “no comment” when asked for her thoughts on Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling’s blockbuster before commenting on its “feminist manifesto’ of the film.

Rhimes discussed the film after producing the Netflix documentary Black Barbie, which explores the impact of three black women at Mattel who were responsible for the Black Barbie debut in 1980:

She said: ‘I think there’s something very powerful about it. I played with those dolls when I was little. We also just had a really interesting opportunity to add to that documentary, and provide a lot more content and context. We added interviews; we went to Mattel.”

The interview comes days before the new season of Bridgerton premieres, featuring Nicola Coughlan, 37, getting hot and heavy with her love interest Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton, 31.

Nicola has already teased that series three will be even grittier than the previous two, which became famous for their racy moments.

But despite admitting she was initially nervous about having her own intimate scenes, the Derry Girls star has said she and Luke got to the point where they could relax even while naked.

In February the pair had spoken to AP about the show’s sex scenes, with Nicola saying: ‘There is so much vulnerability in those scenes and it is also a very important part of the story; they are an important part of the story.

‘But [Luke] really made me feel cared for. As if we really had each other’s backs and even then we could just laugh about it. Like to the point where we just lay under a blanket and were like, ‘We’re really chilling right now.’

She told Variety: “Okay, this is what I’ll say. If you’re expecting a Barbie movie, I loved it. “But I think a lot of people expected so much more and then tried to make it so much more.”

Luke laughed and repeated, “Yeah, halfway through the day you just relax and think, ‘I don’t even care that I’m naked.'”

Nicola added: ‘We had the best time. They said, will you get up and we said, ‘No, no, I’m fine. I feel comfortable.’

Speaking to Teen Vogue, Nicola confirmed: ‘Yes, so it’s really funny. That’s true.

“It’s a testament to the fact that we just got to a point where we felt so comfortable with each other. We had just finished the big sex scene, the most intense and involved…. and we just felt relieved.”

She added that it also made sense logistically to only put on a small amount of “not even real clothes” so they could get right back to work.

Luke also told the publication that the fact that he and Nicola already knew each other and had worked together for a number of years made them less nervous about filming sizzling scenes as they could support each other.

He said, ‘I shot [romance] scenes with Nicola and with actors I might meet on the same day, I think a lot of people think it’s better not to know the person.

“But I actually think it’s a lot easier to have a really solid friendship with someone and to trust someone.”

The third season of Rhimes’ Bridgerton starring Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton premieres on Netflix on May 16

‘We were able to support each other on set in whatever way we could and just laugh about it.

‘I’m really glad we were able to share it together. It was like having a really good friend while you’re going through something that might be quite scary.”

Earlier this month, Nicola said she had found filming the sex scenes ‘enjoyable and stimulating’, revealing they had even broken furniture while doing it.