Yes, Saoirse Ronan was almost a Barbie girl in the cinematic Barbie world.
The actress shared that she was set to have a cameo in Greta Gerwig's upcoming Barbie movie, which stars Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as the infamous Ken. However, Saoirse's schedule—she began filming for the movie, The Outrun, in Scotland around the same time Greta's movie was shooting—was ultimately too busy for her live a life in plastic, after all.
"I was supposed to do a cameo because I live in London and they were [filming] there," she told People in a story published Sept. 15. Referring to the concept of the iconic doll being played by multiple actresses in the movie, Saoirse added, "There was a whole character I was going to play—another Barbie. I was gutted I couldn't do it."
Not one to give up hope, the Brooklyn star joked she was willing make it in the film—set for a July 2023 debut—by any means necessary, even offering up alternatives to her past co-collaborators.
(For reference, Greta directed Saoirse in both Lady Bird and Little Women. As for Margot, she and Saoirse co-starred together in 2018's Mary Queen of Scots).
As Saoirse recalled, "I have texted Margot and Greta and I'm like, 'If you're doing any pick-up [shots], maybe I can just walk through the background?'"
And if you're curious about what the background of the highly anticipated movie looks like thus far, keep reading to find out.