Ariana Greenblatt, Barbie’s sassy teen star, on fame, friendship and why Billie Eilish is the ‘only person I’m really comfortable’ with
“I never have the expectation of [my projects] blowing up,” Greenblatt admits. “I asked the cast, like, ‘Do you guys expect all this?’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, we knew.’ I was like, ‘Why am I the only one [who didn’t]?’” she laughs. “I knew the people I was filming with and I knew it was gonna be spectacular, but I think it settled in when I would just drive around LA. I saw so many Barbie posters and so many people planning the outfits they’d wear to the theatre, and I’ve never experienced something like that before – it was surreal.”
I feel like the only person I’m really comfortable to express what I’m going through with is Billie [Eilish], but weirdly enough, Kevin [Hart] always has such great advice. Whatever [the issue] may be
The up-and-comer will be the first to have you know that her life remains remarkably normal. Greenblatt started out training as a dancer, moving from New York to Florida, before landing in LA. The performing arts are in her blood, it seems, with her father a former actor – though Greenblatt insists that she couldn’t have predicted the amount of success she’s found at such a young age, despite her natural affinity for the profession. “I fell into acting in such a weird, kismet way, and I never expected or wanted fame. That was never in my orbit, like ever.”
It’s hard to tell all of this from our present-day conversation though, when we’re so invested in talking about Greenblatt’s regular day-to-day life. “The most normal thing about me is truly that I am as normal as you could possibly think,” she laughs, mere minutes after her father briefly, inadvertently, barges in on this interview. What does she do with her friends? “We go get food, and we go to the beach, or we make friendship bracelets.” Does she want to go to college? “I don’t like school. If I can skip that little portion of life, I’d be happy to.”
“I go through everything another 16-year-old girl does, and I’m genuinely no different,” Greenblatt reiterates after our interview gets interrupted again, hilariously, when the Bluetooth on her phone automatically connects to that of her friend’s car as she drives by her house. “I’m trying to figure out my [driving] permit. I have my older brother, who makes me feel as normal as possible,” she continues. “And my room is messy! But I have to clean my room and my mum’s angry about it.”
There remains, of course, the unmistakable fact that, as normal as Greenblatt purports to be, the circumstances, responsibilities and enormous influence that surround her are anything but. The young actress is proud that her breakout role inspired millions of girls worldwide (“I wouldn’t want it to happen with any other movie,” she says), but admits that her massive following, especially on social media, still intimidates her sometimes. She speaks with a maturity that belies her years – not surprising considering she spent her formative years growing up with older actors on set, and now counts stars like singer Billie Eilish and comedian Kevin Hart, her upcoming co-star in Borderlands, among her friends.
A highlight of my career is being able to have conversations with young Latina girls, and have them come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing’
“There’s been so many lovely artists and actors who have been like, ‘Hey man, I know what you’re going through. I’m here for you. I got you,’” says Greenblatt. “I feel like the only person I’m really comfortable to express what I’m going through with is Billie, but weirdly enough, Kevin always has such great advice. Whatever [the issue] may be, he truly does have the answer for it, and he gives it to me straight up.”
Much like the movie that catapulted her to fame, the young actress is loud, proud and outspoken about the challenges of young womanhood, and growing up Gen Z has taught her that the only way to stand up to those challenges is by being unapologetically oneself. “We always share the underlying struggles because of the internet,” she says. “Constantly being aware of your face, your body, and how you’re perceived. Girls especially are so hard on themselves … We just want to feel loved and understood and cared for, and at the end of the day, it’s mostly finding the love and care within yourself, for yourself. That’s what’s so complex and fascinating about growing up as a teenage girl. It gets weirder and weirder by the day.”
This, I note, is the magic of having a role model like Greenblatt, who – despite all the uncertainties of growing up – stands tall and certain of who she is, and most importantly, isn’t afraid to speak up on behalf of others. As an actress of Puerto Rican descent, she acknowledges the privilege of representing young girls like herself without the same opportunities, who may have grown up without feeling seen – especially not on the silver screen.
“If what I do and what I say and what I create resonates with anybody on any level, then I take that as a win,” she says. “A highlight of my career is being able to have conversations with young Latina girls, and have them come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing – I finally get to grow up with people who look like me.’ I don’t want to title myself a role model, because I be sticking up my middle finger a little too much, but I do try to do and say the right thing, and set a good example.”
“I try to use my platform for good and I try to be a voice for my generation as much as I can,” Greenblatt concludes. “My generation has no choice but to stand up for each other. There are so many people out there who abuse our generation’s voice, and say, ‘They’re just on the internet’ or whatever. But that’s our way to try and be heard.”
Photography Royal Gilbert
Styling Juliana Schiavinatto
Make-up Jen Tioseco
Hair Glen Oropeza
Nails Zola Ganzorigt
Production Avenue 53
Photography assistant Zackery Hobler
Styling assistants Alexis Kossel & Yasemin Kuru
Source link
