It seems like almost everyone is in Greta Gerwig’sBarbiemovie, but one actor who won’t be a part of the fun isLuke Macfarlane. These days, Macfarlane can be seen alongside Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen as one of the stars of the Apple TV+ seriesPlatonic. The project reunites him with director Nick Stoller, who directedBros, last year’s acclaimed rom-com that co-starred Macfarlane alongside Billy Eichner.
In a new interview withTHR, Macfarlane reveals that he also came very close to appearing inBarbie. The actor explains how during the production ofBros, he’d heard Stoller speaking about his plans forPlatonic, but he wasn’t approached at that time about being a part of it. Macfarlane went on to land a role inBarbie, and soon after, Stoller reached out to offer him a main role inPlatonic. Macfarlane was then faced with picking a small but fun role inBarbieor a much larger role inPlatonicthat appealed to him more on a personal level. Ultimately,Platonicwon out, as hard as it was to turn downBarbie.
“I was cast inBrosfor a very long time. There was the pandemic, and then things didn’t happen for a super long time, but we always lightly kept in touch with each other, which was just more than anything setting the groundwork for a good director-actor relationship,” Macfarlane says of his relationship with Stoller. “And then when we were filmingBros, I knew that he was pitching this show with Rose and Seth, but he never mentioned it to me really in any detail. I didn’t know much about it, other than it was really [co-creator Francesca Delbanco’s] baby and something that felt very personal to her.”
He added, “It was interesting because I had auditioned for a small part inBarbieand got it. And then I got an email from Nick that was like, ‘I think you’d be really great in this part.’ I was like, ‘Great. I have this offer forBarbie, so you gotta let me know.’ We tried to make it work, and I was like, ‘You know what? I really, really wanted to work on this show.’ Careers are funny things — you never really know. When I read about the character on the page, I was like, ‘This is somebody I understand.'”
Related:Bros Star Luke Macfarlane Reflects on ‘Disappointing’ Box Office Performance
Platonic Appealed More to Luke Macfarlane Than Barbie
Macfarlane admits that it wasn’t easy to turn downBarbie, but it just wasn’t possible to do both projects. Even though the role would have been small,Barbiecertainly looks to be a one-of-a-kind film unlike anything else coming out this year, and Macfarlane can’t help but feel like he’s missing out on that.
“It was one of those brutal things,” he said. “Yeah, the timing couldn’t work out for both. I’m not trying to sound boastful. It was a small, little part, but I’ve never been part of some beautiful, big, cool thing like that. It would have been cool to be able to do both.”
You can streamPlatonicon Apple TV+, while theBarbiemovie is set to hitmovie theaterson June 11, 2025.
