Margot Robbie Speaks Out on Her and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Oscar Snubs: ‘There’s No Way to Feel Sad’

Barbie star and executive producer Margot Robbie very tactfully addressed the internet’s outrage over her being snubbed from the Oscars’ Lead Actress category and the film’s director and co-writer, Greta Gerwig, being snubbed from the Best Director category.

While Robbie, who played Barbie in the film, did not get a solo nod from the Academy, her co-stars Ryan Gosling, who played Ken, and America Ferrera, who played Gloria, were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. Ferrera and Gosling both expressed gratitude for their nominations and disappointment over Gerwig and Robbie’s exclusions.

Robbie spoke about the snubs at a panel during a SAG screening of Barbie on Tuesday night. “There’s no way to feel sad when you know you’re this blessed,” she said, according to Deadline.

She did express sadness over Gerwig’s exclusion, though: “Obviously I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is,” Robbie said. “But it’s been an incredible year for all the films.”

She called the impact of Barbie, which grossed $1.4 billion, part of a bigger cultural phenomenon. “I just suspect it’s bigger than us. It’s bigger than this movie, it’s bigger than our industry,” she said.

With Oscar nominations, Robbie is “beyond ecstatic that we’ve got eight Academy Award nominations, it’s so wild,” she said. “Everyone getting the nods that they’ve had is just incredible, and the Best Picture nod.”

“We set out to do something that would shift culture, affect culture, just make some sort of impact,” Robbie continued. “And it’s already done that, and some, way more than we ever dreamed it would. And that is truly the biggest reward that could come out of all of this.”

While Robbie was very diplomatic, Ferrera and Gosling were more blunt about their disappointment in the comments they made following their Oscars nominations.

Ferrera told The Hollywood Reporter, regarding Gerwig and Robbie’s snubs, “It was unexpected, if I’m being perfectly honest. I think that Greta as a director is just unbelievable. The world’s creation, the incredible script she wrote with Noah, the team she assembled, and all the mastery of the craft that she wields is a marvel to witness. It’s been a highlight of my career to get to work with her as a director, and I hope I’m lucky enough to get to work with her again. Margot is a performer who I’ve admired for so long. Her work is unbelievable, and she’s a producer with incredible vision and skill to pull off and something as globally impactful as Barbie. Her work in front of the camera was also amazing to witness and to watch, and I’m so grateful for both of them and their enormous talents. If it were up to me, they would get all the awards.”

And Gosling said in his statement on his nomination, “I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I’d being saying this, but I’m also incrediblly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken. But 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. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture, and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees. Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.