‘Barbie’ production designers on their Oscar chances

The 96th Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday morning, and film lovers everywhere will be tuning in to see which movies from 2023 will be up for awards.

One such hopeful film is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which was the highest-grossing film at the domestic box office in 2023. The film’s set decorator, Katie Spencer, and production designer Sarah Greenwood spoke to ABC Audio in October about the possibility of getting Oscar nominations for their work on the film.

“It would be wonderful if we got a Best Picture nomination,” Spencer said. “Then it sort of covers everyone. It’s always nice to be nominated, you know, it’s always exciting.”

Greenwood agreed, saying Barbie deserves to have that recognition, “whatever that means.”

“Particularly Greta and Margot [Robbie] and Ryan [Gosling] and, and you know, for making this film that they’ve made,” Greenwood said. “Let’s see, you know, you never want to tempt fate. That is for sure.”

Spencer said it means a lot for something they put so much of themselves into to have had so much success.

“In a word, it’s amazing,” Spencer said. “So often you can work on a film, you like the film, and you think it’s worthwhile to see it. And only a few people go [to see it], you know … this has just exceeded everybody’s expectations. And to know that it brings so much joy and fun, a message, and love and kindness, it’s brilliant.”