Charli XCX might be trading in her pop star status for something a little more icy. Word on the street is that the British singer-songwriter is being considered for a major role in Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated The Chronicles of Narnia adaptation for Netflix. And while nothing is set in stone yet, insiders suggest she’s among the top choices for none other than Jadis, the White Witch. Yes, the cold, cunning villainess who ruled Narnia with an iron grip. 

Fans have thoughts, and they’re not convinced

The news came on the same day Charli was announced as headlining Glastonbury 2025, making it a huge moment for the BRAT hitmaker. But while her music career is thriving, her recent pivot toward film is turning heads. Over the past year, she’s been building up her acting résumé, landing roles in The Gallerist (Cathy Yan), The Moment (Aidan Zamiri), Sacrifice (Romain Gavras), and I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki). Now, stepping into the world of C.S. Lewis? That would be a game-changer.

The Narnia fandom, however, isn’t exactly throwing a BRAT-themed welcome party just yet. Fans have taken to X to voice their skepticism, and let’s just say the responses are harsh. One fan wrote: “Absolutely not, lol. I can’t picture it even if they gave her THE White Witch look — tbh they need a higher caliber, more experienced actress for that part.” Another added: “She doesn’t have quite the essence I feel like the Witch needs.” And, in classic internet fashion, some even dragged in old rumors about Charli’s party lifestyle. One snarked: “Gonna be doing poppers on set.”

It’s clear that many fans are struggling to picture Charli stepping into the role made iconic by Tilda Swinton in Walden Media’s Narnia films (2005–2010). Swinton’s chilling performance in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress, and her portrayal of Jadis is still widely regarded as one of the best parts of the trilogy. So, it’s understandable why fans are hesitant about a musician who has no major acting credits yet taking over such a legendary character.

What does Tilda Swinton think?

Interestingly, Swinton herself commented on Netflix’s new Narnia project last year. While she’s intrigued by Gerwig’s adaptation, she has no plans to return. In an interview with Canal+, the 64-year-old actress expressed her curiosity about the films. When asked if she’d reprise her role, Swinton laughed. 

“I doubt it. I don’t like to repeat. That film’s over for me. But I’m curious that somebody wants to do another one.” That leaves the White Witch role wide open—if she even appears in Gerwig’s first film. While Netflix has been developing new Narnia projects since 2018, details remain scarce. What we do know is that the first installment is set for a special two-week IMAX run in November 2026 before hitting the streamer.

But the big question remains: can Charli XCX pull off Jadis? There’s no denying that Charli has an undeniable stage presence. But acting, especially a role as commanding as Jadis, is a different ball game. That said, Greta Gerwig isn’t the type to make random casting choices. If Charli is truly in the running, it’s likely because Gerwig sees something in her that could bring a fresh, unexpected take to the White Witch.

Mikey Madison is set to become Hollywood’s next big thing, with her recent Oscar win for her mesmerizing lead role in Anora catching the attention of at least two acclaimed veterans. In case you missed it, the relatively green actress took home the best actress trophy at the 97th Academy Awards this week, clinching the victory within a competitive category that included frontrunner Demi Moore.

During the pre-Oscars awards circuit, Madison had only scored one win for her role as the titular sex worker in Anora — taking home a BAFTA last month — but her Academy triumph has reportedly shot her to the top of the wish lists for future projects from both Greta Gerwig and Colleen Hoover. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Madison is being eyed by the Barbie and Little Women director for a future role, though the exact details were not revealed. Naturally, this raised discussions around Gerwig’s future movies, with some fans taking the reports as evidence that Madison will appear in the filmmaker’s version of Narnia. For context, we learned back in 2023 that Gerwig would helm an adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s fantasy series with Netflix on board as the production company. 

Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie will receive a limited theatrical run next year before landing on the streaming platform in mid-Dec. 2026. Further details around the film remain scarce, but amid reports that Gerwig recently sent out a casting call for Narnia, Madison being name-checked by The Hollywood Reporter as a potential Gerwig muse certainly raises a few eyebrows. If she were to appear in a Gerwig vehicle, it could spell yet more Oscars success for Madison, since Gerwig’s films, including Ladybird, Little Women, and Barbie, have dominated the awards season in their respective years. 

Greta Gerwig is interested in casting Mikey Madison in a future project.

(Source: https://t.co/B8DXlBRG3X) pic.twitter.com/0KfohzYGyT

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 3, 2025

However, if a role in a Gerwig project doesn’t come to fruition, Madison might just have a place with Hoover, who was also cited as eyeing the actress for a new role. For those unaware, Hoover is an author whose 2016 book, It Ends With Us, was adapted into the 2024 film of the same name. We’re still feverishly chatting about that movie thanks to all *that* Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni drama, but in the meantime, Hoover is said to be working on adapting three of her separate books, titled Verity, Reminders Of Him, and Regretting You. 

The latter two adaptations have already named a few castmates, with Anne Hathaway leading Reminders Of Him and Allison Williams and Dave Franco starring in Regretting You. No cast has been announced for Verity, which could be the project Hoover is circling Madison for, though that remains unconfirmed. In any case, Madison is sure to have a bright and illustrious career ahead of her, in much the same way as her 2025 Oscar-winning peers.

Mikey Madison has been offered a Colleen Hoover adaptation, according to @THR.

She has not accepted the role yet. pic.twitter.com/N3P9TqsdNw

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 3, 2025

For his part, best actor winner Adrien Brody is set to appear opposite Vince Vaughn in an post-World War II drama titled The Bookie & the Bruiser, while ing actress winner Zoe Saldana has several Avatar films in the works. Kieran Culkin, who took home Best ing Actor for his role in A Real Pain, will next head to Broadway for a Glengarry Glen Ross revival with Bob Odenkirk.

Barbie is one of those movies where most people got it right away, but even the few left behind, upon a rewatch or just even thinking about it, realize that that was, in fact, a perfect movie. Now it’s up to Hollywood to do what it does best and give us a sequel. But so far it’s been complicated.

First of all, when it comes to the script, Barbie wasn’t just another blockbuster where the concept was cooked up by a Warner Bros. executive and handed off to a writer-for-hire who, while occasionally delivering fantastic work, rarely creates something truly unique. Barbie, instead, was written by two of the hottest auteur filmmakers in the business — Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who just so happen to also be married.

In a WGA interview, the two recounted how they work together, sharing that they often write separate drafts and exchange them over time while eavesdropping to check whether their latest draft made the other one laugh. Greta Gerwig even made the Time 100 2023 list, and with such success comes endless opportunities. So, unfortunately for Barbie fans, the married couple are already deep in different stages of working on their solo projects, with Noah Baumbach in the post-production period of a film with George Clooney as the lead and Gerwig working on the latest adaptation of Chronicles of Narnia.

But that’s not to say that the two have their minds completely off Barbie Land. According to an exclusive report by The Hollywood Reporter, Gerwig and Baumbach have hatched a plan for the sequel to Barbie that they’ve already pitched to the studio and presumably they’re going to start working on it as soon as their schedule opens up and allows them. Early on, after the movie’s success, Margot Robbie, who was the driving force of the entire film as both the star, producer, and the person who handpicked Greta Gerwig for the lucrative position, dampened any hope for a sequel when she told Associated Press they didn’t plan on Barbie being a trilogy and that they put everything in the movie. So a sequel, if it were to happen, still cannot imagine what that would be.

What makes this news complicated instead of a cause for celebration is that, immediately after the news report came out, claims of a new Barbie being in the early stages of development were refuted. Warner Bros. released a statement saying that The Hollywood Reporter’s report is inaccurate, and, moreover, a representative for the duo also added that there’s “no legitimacy” to the reporting.

However, Robbie’s comments actually do make sense. The first Barbie dug deep to find the essence and interpretation of girlhood from the perspective of what Barbie means to the culture, and even the ending was reminiscent of Pinocchio finally becoming a “real boy.” So, it’s understandable for the creators of the film to try and avoid ruining that original movie. We fully understand their hesitation. At the end of the day, the goal is to avoid the fate of the critical disaster that is Joker: Folie à Deux. But maybe the challenge is good enough reason to pursue making the film.

As for what we think the next film is about, as long as it’s surprising and comes from a sincere place just like the original, then we’ll show up at the cinema. They already have Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. It’s very hard to go wrong with a starting point like that.

Swapping out the bright (and almost blinding) pink that defined 2023’s worldwide Barbie mania, director Greta Gerwig has turned heads with a decidedly darker look while stepping out at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Gerwig — who is this year serving (in more ways than one) as the festival’s Jury President — wore a custom Saint Laurent dress on the red carpet for the ‘Le Deuxième Acte’ (‘The Second Act’) premiere. The show-stopping and deep V-cut dress was adorned in shimmering auburn sequins, with a long leg slit unveiling Gerwig’s sleek silhouette.

At first glance, one might have mistaken the director for a character in The Matrix, with the slicked-back hairdo and the dress’ dark, leather-like tones giving major Neo/Keanu Reeves energy. All Gerwig needed was a pair of black shades and she’d be well on her way to taking the red pill. Gerwig completed the look with bold eye make-up, Chopard jewels and a pair of Saint Laurent pumps. 

While this might incur the wrath of some pastel-loving fans, it’s refreshing to see Gerwig in these darker tones, especially since the pink explosion brought on by Barbie’s press tour had threatened to damage our eyes for the better part of 2023. The look has extra oomph given that Gerwig is the first female American director to serve as a Cannes jury president, invoking all the can-do attitude of the plastic Mattel doll that brought in almost $1.5 billion at the box office last year. 

Gerwig’s Matrix-like look was styled by Karla Welch, who has elsewhere worked with the likes of Lorde, Justin Bieber, Karlie Kloss and Amy Poehler. After walking the red carpet for the French film premiere, Gerwig took the outfit for a spin during the opening ceremony at Cannes, and presented Meryl Streep with the festival’s prestigious Palme d’Or award. Gerwig previously directed Streep in the 2019 film adaptation of Little Women. 

While her look certainly turned heads, Gerwig was almost outshone by not one, but two furry red carpet entrants, with Messi — the famous dog from Anatomy of a Fall — caught taking a leisurely stroll at the starry event. Elsewhere spotted at the festival was Kodi, the dog from Cannes entrant film Dog on Trial. 

Among the buzziest films at this year’s festival are the Emma Stone-starring Kinds of Kindness directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the John Krasinski-directed IF, and the Pixar animated sequel, Inside Out 2.

For its part, George Miller’s Mad Max installment Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has been confirmed to premiere out of competition. 

From the opening scene, it’s obvious that Juno isn’t like other teen comedies. Elliot Page’s wry commentary as the title character sets the tone for a unique tale about growing up.

Like many teenagers, Juno (Page) is at odds with herself. In love with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), she is unable — or unwilling — to tell him. Instead, the two have spontaneous sex, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy. This event sets Juno on a course that teaches her about love, friendships, and what is important to her. While no films are a one-for-one comparison of this classic, there are many with similar tone and themes that fans should explore after watching Juno.

1. Jennifer’s Body (2009) – Hulu

High school is never easy, especially when your best friend is a literal man-eating beast. Jennifer’s Body was wildly underappreciated at the box office when it premiered, but Diablo Cody’s follow-up to Juno should not be discounted. With equal parts gore and humor, the film is a feminist text about how society views women and the intricacies of female relationships. 

Jennifer (Megan Fox) may seem like a hateful demon, but it is only because society made her that way. Particularly when an indie rock band sacrifices her to Satan for a shot at fame. Or so they think. Turning into a succubus, she starts eating her way through the boys in town. The irony featured in the film is a horror spin on Juno and remains a cult classic.

2. Easy A (2010) – Amazon Prime

Following the success of Superbad, Emma Stone kept going with the high school theme. This time, it was an extremely loose, modernized telling of The Scarlet Letter. Stone stars as Olive, a girl whose little lies amount to a massive reputation. After lying to her best friend that she lost her virginity, she gets a reputation as the school harlot. 

She allows boys to claim they’ve slept with her to boost their egos, and starts pinning an A on all her clothes, like Hester from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. A love letter to many high school films of the ‘80s, Easy A constructs a clever narrative with a hilarious take on a classic.

3. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – Hulu

It is hard to pull off a movie that is quirky as well as sincere, but Little Miss Sunshine fits the bill. A celebrated film at Sundance, the movie stars a young Abigail Breslin as Olive Hoover, an aspiring beauty queen. Though not who you think of as a beauty queen in a traditional sense, her family s her implicitly as they drive from Albuquerque to California for a contest. The ing cast — which includes Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg Kinnear, and Alan Arkin in an Oscar-winning turn — is just as important, as they all experience emotional setbacks during the film. Serious as well as comedic, Little Miss Sunshine earned all of its accolades.

4. Booksmart (2019) – Peacock

Before the media firestorm that was Don’t Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde had a much more successful run in her directorial debut, Booksmart. A back-to-school movie from the female perspective, it follows best friends Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), who have sacrificed high school social lives to get into good schools. 

On the last day of school, Molly is flabbergasted to learn that the popular kids also got into good colleges. Realizing that they wasted years of having fun, Molly and Amy decide to have one last hurrah at a high school party. Friendships are tested and laughs are had in a movie that shows nerds can have fun too.

5. The Edge of Seventeen (2016) – Amazon Prime

No, the Hailee Steinfeld vehicle sadly does not have vocals from Stevie Nicks. But it does accurately portray the loneliness of coming of age. Steinfeld plays Nadine, a high schooler dealing with the trauma of growing up.

Still dealing with the death of her father, she feels even more alone when her best friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her popular brother (Blake Jenner). With a mother she can’t agree with, and a best friend being phased from her life, the only person she can seemingly connect with is her dry teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson). Many teen comedies can show the awkwardness of growing up, but The Edge of Seventeen does it with a level of truthfulness rarely seen. 

6. Ghost World (2001) – Apple TV

Based on the Dan Clowes-penned comic of the same name, the 2001 cult film is a dark take on growing up. Though humorous, it posits themes of loss of individuality and the pain of moving on. After Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) graduate high school, they languish aimlessly in their hometown, unsure of what they should do with their lives. As summer progresses, the two grow apart, with their cynicism taking over the trajectory of their lives. Growing up is hard to experience and sometimes even harder to watch. But at least you can laugh while doing git.

7. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – Apple TV

As with all Wes Anderson films, Moonrise Kingdom has a specific perspective. Set against the backdrop of a fictional New England town, the film takes heavy inspiration from the French New Wave of the ‘60s. Lighthearted and humorous, it follows two adolescents, Suzy (Kara Hayward) and Sam (Jared Gilman), who find love in a hopeless place. They run away together, incurring a panic from the town as authority figures try to track them down. Moonrise Kingdom balances quirkiness with a nostalgic appreciation for young love.

8. Lisa Frankenstein (2024) – Amazon Prime

Allegedly set in the same universe as Jennifer’s Body, Lisa Frankenstein takes a gothic look at young love. Kathryn Newton stars as Lisa, a teenager in the ‘80s who can’t connect with anyone. She spends her time talking to the corpse of a dead Victorian man in a graveyard (Cole Sprouse) until one day, he comes to life. Despite being from different times, the two find common ground and, of course, love. Lisa Frankenstein posits that there really is someone for everyone in a twist on the classic Mary Shelley tale.

9. Clueless (1995) – Hulu

Adapted from the Jane Austen classic, Emma, Clueless takes the story of the oblivious matchmaker and sets her in a 1990’s California high school. Cher (Alicia Silverstone) seems to have it all. Looks, wealth, and no worries. After a new student, Tai (Brittany Murphy), transfers schools, Cher takes it upon herself to remake her in her own image. 

While these intentions come from a good place, everything Cher does ultimately backfires. She realizes she doesn’t understand anything, let alone her own heart. Despite Cher’s cluelessness, the film views the protagonist with love and appreciation as she finally realizes that love is in front of her the entire time.

10. Ladybird (2017) – Tubi

Mother-daughter relationships are often fraught, and this is explored deeply in Greta Gerwig’s personal film, Ladybird. As with many teenage girls, Ladybird (Saoirse Ronan) is in transition. Though her given name is Christine, she has insisted on going by her self-proclaimed nickname as she traverses her final year of high school. Though her coming of age is painful, it is also humorous, and she ultimately accepts herself as she is and not who she is pretending to be.

11. Adventureland (2009) – Amazon Prime

A period comedy set in the late ‘80s, Adventureland features the difficult period after college. When James (Jesse Eisenberg) realizes he doesn’t have enough money to travel abroad, he takes a job at an amusement park. There, he forms memories but also falls for a fellow employee, Em (Kristen Stewart). 

The chemistry between the two actors makes for a comedy for the ages, but it also shows the realism of relationships. Both make mistakes and come to with their shortcomings. With Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Reynolds in ing roles, this offbeat dramedy is highly underrated. 

12. Saved! (2004) – Amazon Prime

Teen pregnancy is complicated enough, but throw in organized religion, and it’s a whole different set of circumstances. Mary (Jena Malone) believes herself to be a good Christian girl, but that changes when her boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), comes out to her. 

In an effort to save him, they have sex, which results in a teen pregnancy. Dean gets sent away to a Christian reform school, leaving Mary alone to deal with the ramifications. The further she gets along in her pregnancy, the more she sees the hypocrisy of her religious high school. Saved! sets the typical trope of teen pregnancy in an uncommon setting to show that love and acceptance comes out of the most unexpected places. 

13. Whip It (2009) – Hulu

In Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It celebrates individuality in a world of conformity. Bliss Cavendar (Elliot Page) lives in small-town Texas, enduring her mother’s love of beauty pageants. Only when she discovers the world of roller derby, does she find out who she truly is. Page excels in the material that shows humor as well as the merits of finding your — well — bliss.

14. Young Adult (2011) – Amazon Prime

Sometimes coming-of-age stories don’t always happen in our formative years. Sometimes achieving maturity takes a while, like in the case of the 2011 film, Young Adult. The dark comedy stars Charlize Theron as Mavis Gray, a recent divorcee who returns to her hometown to strike up a relationship with an old flame. 

The only problem is that her high school ex is now married with a baby. Mavis takes no part in the logic of those around her, such as Matt (Patton Oswalt), who urges her to seek therapy. Throughout her experiences, Mavis learns to become a better person — whether she wants to or not.

15. Sugar & Spice (2001) – Apple TV

In many teen films, pregnancy is a consequence often followed by lessons to be learned. In Sugar & Spice, however, it is just the inciting incident. After a whirlwind romance, Jack (James Marsden) and Diane (Marley Shelton) get pregnant and quickly learn the realities of the world. 

The relationship between the two remains strong, but they still need to get ahead. And what can two high school students with no real-world experience do to get ahead? By robbing a bank, of course. Diane enlists the help of her cheerleading squad to be able to provide for her family. There is no moral lesson to be learned in this film. Just hilarious, campy fun.

16. Empire Records (1995) – Hulu

Oh, the days when music was sold in record shops, and you could spend all day jamming with your friends. Empire Records is a relic of a different time, but always worth a rewatch. Taking place in the day of the life of working at the record store in question, five friends experience the trials of growing up while their boss tries to keep the store afloat. Accompanied by the classic music of the era, the film is a time capsule about love, loss, and the best times of your life.

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Greta Gerwig is one of the most exciting — and distinct — directors to emerge in the 21st century, as well as a key figure in the rising number of female directors and storytellers emerging in the film industry in recent years.

Beginning her career as an actor in the early 2000s, Gerwig was a pioneer of the “mumblecore” style of indie filmmaking — low-budget, independent films with dialogue as the central focus. Gerwig began her career co-writing independent films with Joe Swanberg, before collaborating as a writer with director, future husband and co-writer of Barbie, Noah Baumbach, for films like s Ha (2012) and Mistress America (2015).

It was her solo work as a director, however, that would launch Gerwig’s career into the stratosphere, with all three of her films earning a nod for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, signaling a new era of women’s ever-increasing space in the world of filmmaking. While Greta remains one of few female directors to be nominated for Best Director, her success still marks the beginning of a more diverse era of major motion pictures.

If you’re looking to say “Hi Barbie!” for the first time, or the movie of the summer has tempted you to dive into Greta Gerwig’s filmography, here’s where you can access every film directed by the acclaimed filmmaker.

Nights and Weekends (2008)

Nights and Weekends is often neglected or outright forgotten when discussing Greta Gerwig’s directorial efforts, but the 2008 indie movie is technically her first outing as a filmmaker. Gerwig co-directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the mumblecore melodrama following two long-distance lovers, alongside contemporary and close friend, Joe Swanberg.

So far, only DirecTV has Video on Demand (VOD) access for Nights and Weekends, but this may change if demand is strong enough. The service only allows streaming of the film, without purchase or rental options. However, it can be purchased in physical media form, via DVD only.

Lady Bird (2017)

Greta Gerwig’s first solo directorial effort is loosely based on her upbringing in Sacramento, California, following Christine “Lady Bird” Mherson in her final year at an all-girls private Catholic school before moving to the East Coast for college. The coming-of-age comedy debuted with a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, before scoring five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Lady Bird is available to stream, free for subscribers, on multiple platforms — including Netflix, FuboTV, Paramount Plus, Showtime, and DirecTV. If you can access Kanopy via your local library, you can stream the film at no cost.

Lady Bird can also be rented on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, DirecTV, Microsoft Store, and Spectrum. The movie can be purchased at all the above, except for Spectrum which is rental only.

Little Women (2019)

Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel reunited Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan once more as ill-fated lovers, as well as reuniting Gerwig herself with another Best Picture Academy Award nomination — but was similarly snubbed for Best Director, like Barbie. Gerwig’s non-linear storytelling of four sisters during the American Civil War and Reconstruction was another critically acclaimed coming-of-age story, like its predecessor.

Little Women is available to stream on Starz and DirecTV, with the former available for subscription via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Roku. The film can be rented on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, DirecTV, Microsoft Store, and Spectrum. Apart from Spectrum, the historical drama can be purchased on all of the above, plus AMC on Demand.

Barbie (2023)

Arguably a film that needs no introduction — Barbie was, on all counts, the biggest movie of 2023. Led by Margot Robbie, Gerwig’s tale of existential discovery through the iconic fashion doll captured the world’s attention all the way to the Academy Awards, scoring Oscar nominations including Best ing Actor and Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture once more for Gerwig.

Barbie is streaming exclusively on Max (formerly HBO Max) — which can be purchased as an add-on via Amazon Prime Video. The quirky comedy is also still playing in a number of movie theaters worldwide, due to its enduring popularity. The film can be rented on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Google Play, Youtube, Microsoft Store, Vudu, and Spectrum — and can be bought on all of the above, bar Spectrum.

Season 28 of The Bachelor has officially begun, and with a cast consisting of the most hopefuls in the franchise’s history, the 32 women the fighting for Joey Graziadei‘s heart could not be more different from one another.

From Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to vintage store owners, the contestants’ occupations are extremely diverse this season, but one woman who works three different jobs has instantaneously caught our eye: Kelsey Toussant. Did someone say #GirlBoss?

Described as an actress, realtor, and boutique owner on her LinkedIn profile, Toussant is a woman of many talents. Her acting career, however, has been on the rise after she recently appeared in Greta Gerwig’s 2023 smash hit, Barbie. While her role as Miss Universe: Jamaica was uncredited, the 32-year-old was in the presence of some of the biggest names in the industry while on set, from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling to Simu Liu.

Now this Barbie is looking for her Ken on The Bachelor in the hopes that Joey is the one for her. But is she the one for him?

Who is Kelsey Toussant?

Currently living in Los Angeles, California, Toussant has been landing acting gigs since 2014, has operated her own boutique called TOUSSANT since 2021, and has worked as a realtor at Flower Street Group since 2023. While she’s been quite busy starring in television shows and movies like Barbie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and How I Met Your Father, she also loves to have game nights, spend time with her friends and family, and play beach volleyball when she finds the time.

As far as her quest for love goes, Kelsey has had multiple long-term relationships in the past ⏤ even getting engaged to her ex ⏤ but she is now seeking a man “who will appreciate the thoughtfulness she brings to their relationship.” Described as “the kind of woman who radiates joy and ambition everywhere she goes,” as well as someone who is both understanding and adventurous, she hopes to be the perfect match (no pun intended) for tennis professional Joey.

To find out for yourself if Kelsey steals Joey’s heart, tune into ABC every Monday to catch brand new episodes of The Bachelor or stream them the next day via Hulu. According to Reality Steve (spoiler alert!), this season is sure to be nothing short of spectacular.

When the 96th Academy Awards air on March 10, 2024, the live telecast can save precious time because even if someone else takes home the golden statue, the Best Picture category win has already happened — it’s Barbie.

The Academy just elevated its art of “snubbing” when it refused to nominate Greta Gerwig as Best Director and Margot Robbie as Best Actress for Barbie. Why? They didn’t like the film, somehow “just Ken” beat the “everything” Barbie, or recognizing and honoring deserving titles is just that hard? And after these massive snubs, the film might just end up losing to Oppenheimer in the Best Picture category.

Oh, drop those furrowed eyebrows scrunched in justified displeasure — and now, confusion — because Barbie just accomplished its core mission and is, hands down, the Best Picture winner already. Okay, okay, we are only angry with the Oscars (not me), and yes, one hot explanation coming right up!

What was the message of Barbie? What were Gerwig, Margot, and the other Barbie actors trying to convey through the film? It employs a metamodern path to dissect, comment, and question the conflicting expectations a society has for a woman and how they want to box her in their perception of what she should be. In the film, Barbie learns that in the real world, women are “just Barbie” — expected to conform to the gazillion demands and objectifications. 

It shows that in the so-called matriarchal world, the Kens are happy and free to do what they want, while women pursue their ambitions. But when Ken brings in the patriarchal version from the real world, women are sidelined, expected to be heard but not seen as men get the spotlight. 

Now, the ongoing social media debate highlights that Barbie won’t be Barbie without Gerwig’s skilled direction or Robbie’s heartfelt performance as Stereotyped Barbie. The Academy blatantly ignored them but saw Gosling fit for a nomination as Best ing Actor — he is exceptional in the film, no doubt about that, but the fact remains that Ken is nominated for Barbie but Barbie is not.

And what’s more, amid this whole hoopla around his nomination, the fact that America Ferrera has been nominated in the Best ing Actress category is buried under it all — a tad awkward given the literal message of the film. Did someone order a double dose of irony because the universe [re: the Academy] seems rather committed to the whole bit.

But you know what, Barbie still wins. The message it set out to impart, the itching questions it dared to scratch, and the ideologies it openly challenged are getting questioned and called out after the Oscars 2024 nominations — the film is accomplishing what it set out to do in the first place. Isn’t that what a Best Picture winner should do — not just be entertaining or different, but unsettle the norms? By snubbing 2023’s biggest accomplishment’s creators, the Oscars went all meta in sealing their victory.

There has never been a year where the Academy managed to soothe all frayed nerves with its list of nominations. Someone is always displeased, and unhappy that their favorites didn’t make it to the list. But 2024 is the first time when the Oscars have managed to piss everyone off. Quite a feat, huh?

We get it — picking the worthy ones in 2023 who deserve all the accolades must have been one tough task. Snubbing a few that deserved to be on the list of Oscars 2024’s nomination list was a necessary evil. Broken hearts out there right now are trying to console others that Charles Melton not getting the Best Actor nomination for May December is a bitter pill we have to swallow. But Ryan Gosling getting nominated in the category for Barbie while both Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig are absent from the big list…?

So, Margot was Barbie, Greta Gerwig made it real, and yet the nom still goes to Ken? I don’t know about winter, but a bloody hurricane has already breached its peak on social media and it is solely headed towards Beverly Hills.

Over the years, the Academy voters have battled many accusations and have been called biased when it consistently failed to recognize deserving women directors. Last year saw no women in the category and the Academy’s attempt to fix that error this year — with Justine Triet for Anatomy of the Fall — is already looking like a botch job because of the glaring absence of Gerwig.

While Gosling’s selection is a subject of celebration, of course, and he undoubtedly deserves the nom., his name as an Oscar nominee is only serving to triple underline what irony means. Life imitating art, anyone?

Yep, America Ferrera, who played Gloria in Barbie, is up for the Best Actress in a ing Role, but whether it is the celebration around Gosling’s nomination or the dissatisfied discourse around it, it has effectively blurred out her well-deserved presence in the list.

For once, the internet, instead of being the platform where everyone tears each other apart, is following the “us vs them” battle model; i.e., we the filmgoers vs. the Academy and its unanimously-labeled “broken voting system.”

We all love a good laugh but unfortunately, not many people were laughing at the Golden Globes this year as host Jo Koy came out of seemingly nowhere to tell a bunch of bad jokes and cause outrage more than anything else.

One moment, in particular, has gone viral online after Koy told a joke about the Barbie movie that didn’t exactly go over too well with the cast (or anybody really). The joke compared Oppenheimer and Barbie, reducing the movie to being about “a plastic doll with big boobies.”

As he tells his joke the camera cuts to director, Greta Gerwig, as well as Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, none of whom are even close to cracking a genuine smile, some of them look like they’re outright cringing. It only gets worse as Koy continues to riff on the film, “the key moment in Barbie is when she goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite and flat feet, or what casting directors call a character actor.” If you haven’t seen the clip, trust me when I say the silence after the punchline is deafening.

The problem with this joke lies primarily in the fact that it’s not funny, but aside from that, it belittles the work that the cast and crew put into the movie as well as outright body shaming the film’s star. The comedian has been at the receiving end of a lot of backlash online for what he said at the awards. 

Whilst speaking to GMA3 the morning after he did acknowledge some of the shortcomings in his material, itting that some of his jokes, particularly the Taylor Swift one, didn’t come out the way he intended.

“I was trying to make fun of the NFL using cutaways and how the Globes didn’t have to do that. So it was more of a jab towards the NFL […] it just didn’t come out that way.”

Whilst he does it the Swift joke might have been a misstep, it wasn’t the only poorly received part of his monologue. He doesn’t specifically mention the Barbie joke in the interview so it’s hard to say whether he regrets it, however, he is self-critical of his performance, telling GMA hosts, “it was a tough gig!”

He also attributes the poor jokes to the lack of prep time he and his writers had as Koy only knew he had the gig 10 days before the awards ceremony was set to take place. He only had just over a week to write the entire monologue and whilst he did have help, usually the hosts are given a lot longer to prepare for such things.

Overall, Koy maintains that he is proud of what he did at the Golden Globes, “That’s one thing I want to be proud about you know? It was a long journey and the opportunity came […] I jumped on it.” Perhaps this can be a learning experience for him, who knows, maybe this will help Koy to become an even better comedian in the future, although he probably has a few more apologies to make first.

For anyone out there who went to see Barbie with their significant other, only to realize amid the candy-colored theatrics and feminist parables that they needed to break up with their partner ASAP — well, you’re not alone.

Similar to the internet movement that helped Barbie bust the box office on opening weekend (with or without Oppenheimer as a chaser), this new movement is busting toxic relationships.

Somehow, we think writer/director Greta Gerwig would be very proud that her film is giving ladies the courage to say “enough is enough” to partners who fall short.

How did the Barbie breakups trend start?

The trend began roughly a week after Barbie premiered, per Huffington Post. On the popular “Am I the A**hole” subreddit, a woman posted a heart-wrenching confessional about her male partner being offended by the movie, which led to a very serious talk between the two.

Finally, the woman asked him to move out, which he did after stealing all the food in the fridge and all the batteries in the electronics drawer, as one does.

The story went viral, and after a while, it became clear this was not an isolated incident.

What are some other Barbie Breakups?

A woman on TikTok recently said the film inspired her to break up with her boyfriend after he engaged in problematic behavior:

Congrats, Shirley! Welcome to a new day where you only hang out with men who give you joy. If no men make the grade, let us introduce you to pets.

Here’s another story from Twitter:

Terrifically said, visionary T. Your man should worship the ground you walk on — or at least be smart enough to realize Barbie is really arguing that the patriarchy is just as harmful to men as to women. What does he think all these “Kenough” hoodies are trying to say, if not that?

There’s even a story of a fella realizing he and his girlfriend weren’t right for each other after watching Barbie. Granted, he later deleted the post, but the comments are still there:

In summation, if your partner — no matter their gender — doesn’t agree with the critiques laid down in Barbie, don’t let the door hit them on the way out. Or do, because it’s funny when doors do that.

Now we begin our search for the elusive “I broke up with my man because he built an atomic bomb just to seem more alpha” stories on the Oppenheimer boards. What a time to be alive.

Barbie‘s one-hour, 54-minute runtime is practically wall-to-wall iconic scenes. That said, everything specifically to do with Ryan Gosling’s hilarious Ken has proved incredibly popular. One particular scene sees the Kens of Barbieland, led by stereotypical Ken, dedicating a beachside acoustic guitar performance to their designated Barbie, in the form of a cover of Matchbox Twenty’s 1997 song, ‘Push’.

Barbie’s use of Matchbox Twenty’s ‘Push’

The scene plays out as a familiar nightmare date to women: a man strumming his guitar, singing at (not to) his date, finding some sort of emotional connection or meaning in his own performance.

In this case, the Kens have found meaning in the lyrics of “Push” as a result of their newfound discovery of patriarchy. The Barbies, on the other hand, take this as an opportunity to turn the Kens against each other and take back Barbieland from the clutches of the patriarchal Kendom.

As the Kens sing lyrics like “I don’t know if I’ve ever been good enough,” the Barbies feign interest in other Kens to stir up drama between them and ultimately turn all of the Kens against each other, so that the Barbies can take back Barbieland while the Kens fight.

Why is the song significant in ‘Barbie’?

At this point in the film, the Kens are having a crisis about what their value is in Barbieland, and are questioning their worth in the hierarchy of their society. However, also in line with the song, they have overcorrected and begun pushing and putting down the Barbies to make room for themselves and their horses.

Greta Gerwig assigned 90s hits to both Barbie and Ken, giving Barbie the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine,” which plays on the journey between Barbieland and reality. The song is reminiscent of Barbie’s physical and emotional journey of self-discovery with lyrics like:

“There’s more than one answer to these questions / Pointing me in a crooked line / And the less I seek my source for some definitive / Closer I am to fine, yeah.”

The anthems for each Barbie and Ken represent larger reflections of their character development throughout the film. These artists were also vital in the coming-of-age journey for much of the film’s target audience.

Greta Gerwig explains the song choice behind ‘Push’

Greta Gerwig explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly why she chose ‘Push’ as the song to represent the Kens’ existential crisis, amid their attempt to overthrow Barbieland for the patriarchy.

“I was like, well, if Barbies loved Indigo Girls’ ‘Closer to Fine,’ which is one of my favorite songs of all time, the Kens might really attach to Matchbox Twenty.

‘Push’] was playing all the time on Quad 106.5 when I was in seventh grade, and if it wasn’t playing there, it was playing at 107.9. I really loved that song. I listened to it all the time and I was like, ‘I feel it. Something’s in this.'”

At the time of its release in 1997, ‘Push’ was criticized for lyrics that many interpreted to be misogynistic or violent against women, especially the lyrics “I wanna push you around,” or “I wanna take you for granted”. Matchbox Twenty has always denied this association, asserting that the lyrics are not meant to be a literal translation of the feelings of the song’s protagonist.

It seems that Gerwig herself holds the same positive view about the song. “I never put anything in a movie I don’t love, and that’s true,” Gerwig told Indiewire about the choice to use ‘Push’. “I don’t really have use for things that I don’t have affection for, within a movie.”

Greta’s genuine affection for the ’90s hit may be the most simple explanation for its use in her film. As for its divisive reception over its meaning, the director may have chosen to use it to represent the polarization between the Barbies and Kens, and their contrasting outlooks on what a just Barbieland or ‘Kendom’ would look like.