“I Apologize for Speaking Ignorantly”

Oliver Stone has walked back his recent comments about Barbie. In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Stone cited Deadline as posting “out of context” comments that he made in June last year about the movie, including saying that he believed Ryan Gosling was “wasting his time” being part of the project.

It seems that there has been much confusion over the interview, which it seems was originally conducted in June 2023 and posted on City A.M.’s website. This interview was then resurfaced in December 2023 on Yahoo.com, who shared it as part of their “Best of 2023” reports. With the story trending again, and Barbie being in focus again thanks to its many awards nominations, the comments were picked up anew, leading Stone to share his revised view on Barbie after having seen the movie in the summer. He wrote:

“Very disappointed to see Deadline, a publication I respect, run this sensationalistic, out-of-context statement I made about Barbie weeks before the film even came out. At the time, I was busy promoting my nuclear documentary in Europe and had little to no knowledge of the project beyond its title. I was able to see Barbie in a theater back in July and appreciated the film for its originality and its themes. I found the filmmakers’ approach certainly different than what I expected. I apologize for speaking ignorantly. Greta Gerwig’s 2017 film Lady Bird was one of my favorites of that year. Barbie’s box office greatly boosted the morale of our business, which was welcome. I wish Greta and the entire Barbie team good fortune at the Oscars.”

While it seems that Stone’s comments on Barbie were premature, he clearly has strong feelings about other movies that he had seen prior to speaking with City A.M., including the John Wick franchise and Fast and Furious movies. As part of the same interview, Stone said:

“Now it’s all fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, including all the war pictures: fantasy, fantasy. Even the Fast and Furious movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies. I mean, how many crashes can you see? On the plane I watched John Wick, which is three hours and some, and I fell asleep about 778 times during it. I kept waking up and having to face him killing more people. It’s like the world has degenerated into non-logic.”

Like many legends of the industry, Stone is more than happy to comment on the state of modern cinema, but his latest take on Barbie proves that even the greatest can make judgments that they later come to regret. Although this probably still doesn’t mean that Stone will be first in line to direct a Barbie sequel, it seems that he, like the vast majority of people, shares the sentiment that Barbie is a modern classic.

Barbie

Release Date

July 21, 2023

Studio

Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, Mattel Films