Ariana Greenblatt on the ‘Stupid’ Movie That Inspires Her

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My Ten

“It’s a big part of my personality,” admitted the actress, who broke through in “Barbie” and is now in the sci-fi film “Borderlands.”

A black-and-white image of Ariana Greenblatt with blue and green borders.
When Ariana Greenblatt was considering joining the cast of “Borderlands,” she asked her brother about the video game it’s based on. “He was like, ‘Yeah, I play it all the time,’” she said. “That was my green light to move forward.”Credit...Ronda Churchill/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sarah Bahr

Aug. 10, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

After playing America Ferrera’s defiant daughter in “Barbie,” Ariana Greenblatt has lots of mentor options. There’s Margot Robbie (“so cool”). Michael Cera (“I love him so much”). Greta Gerwig (“yeeessss”).

But her go-to vibe check? That remains her older brother, Gavin, who is studying fashion design.

“All my looks are approved by him,” Greenblatt, 16, said in a phone interview from her home in Los Angeles, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs, Luna and Foxy. “He has such great style.”

He also served as the vetter on another important project: “Borderlands,” a film adaptation of the sci-fi video game in which Greenblatt plays the demolitions expert Tiny Tina.

“I called him to fact-check: ‘Is this video game cool?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, I play it all the time,’” Greenblatt said. “That was my green light to move forward.”

While she watched her dogs try to catch a squirrel, Greenblatt, who is now filming “Now You See Me 3” in Budapest, discussed the item that’s her must-have on the road, why she thinks everyone should read “The Outsiders” and her dream writing project. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1

At first I was mad that I had to read it in school, but I really connected with it. My favorite character is either Darry or Sodapop — he was so cute in the movie! When Dally got shot at the end, it made me sob. Wait, there’s a musical? Now I have to see it!


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