Now that Barbie has finally been unleashed onto the world, we can’t get enough of what went into making it. We’re not just mesmerized by the practical, old-school effects but also catching the tiniest of glimpses into what it was like on the set.
The latter insight comes from Charles Tatman, who posts dance TikToks to his more than 450,000 followers and is credited as one of the film’s many dancers. (You can also see him in several scenes, including one where he’s sitting on a couch in a cowboy outfit with Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera, and Simu Liu.) Over the weekend, he shared a day in the life-esque video documenting some of the things he saw when he arrived on the set of Barbie, which is set to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, a song that appears at the film’s emotional climax.
He said the video was to show people the kinds of things that go into a movie that more people aren’t aware of. As Tatman noted, that included something like a 4 am call time, the COVID tests he took to be on set, the time it took to do his hair and makeup, and the camaraderie between the cast and crew members (including an early-morning dance line).
“Editing this video and watching it back, it literally made me realize how lucky we were to have such an amazing group of people,” he said. “Not only dance-wise but in every aspect of this film. Everyone was so amazing, and we literally, as cringe as it is, were like one big family. And I think that showed during the movie.”
@_charlietatman Making this made me realise how lucky i was to be apart of this Movie, i hope you all enjoy and enjoyed the movie… 💖 @Barbie Movie #fypシ #fyp #barbie #barbiemovies #dancer ♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] – Billie Eilish
Tatman’s video doesn’t necessarily show off the biggest aspects of the set or the stars, but there is plenty for people to appreciate about what went into making what might be one of the biggest films of the year.
“I love how everyone’s dancing together,” one person wrote. “I cant stop smiling it’s so cute.”
“As someone who wants to go into working on movie sets, I love this,” another wrote. “I love behind the scenes! And the movie was so good!”
For many, it was as simple as seeing a message from Margot Robbie on the door of a waffle truck she provided that read, “Waffles – Yay! Love, Barbie Margot.”
“I loved seeing that waffles from Margot, everybody in the movie is a team no matter how big or small – we can all learn from that,” a commenter said.
Prompted by someone shocked it was Tatman in the movie, he shared even more footage, including some shots where you can see him in the film, showcasing some of the unseen talents in front of and behind the camera who helped make Barbie what it is.
@_charlietatman Replying to @🪩💫 Thank you for all your kind mesaages 💖💓#barbie #barbiemovies #fypシ #fyp ♬ What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] – Billie Eilish
We reached out to Tatman via Instagram.
