July 5, 2023
Why 'Bros' Star Luke Macfarlane Turned Down 'Barbie' Role for Apple TV+ Series 'Platonic'
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Luke Macfarlane has reunited with his "Bros" director Nick Stoller for the new Apple TV+'s comedy series "Platonic," which he stars in alongside Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne.
But during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Macfarlane let it slip that he originally had a part in the "Barbie" universe, which is currently taking over the world with a viral pink marketing campaign.
According to him, they couldn't get the timing to work out.
"I'm not trying to sound boastful. It was a small, little part, but I've never been part of some beautiful, big, cool thing like that," he said. "It would have been cool to be able to do both."
Indeed, we can totally see him being one of the Kens.
About reuniting with Stoller and the audience reception, or lack of reception to "Bros," Macfarlane had this to say:
"I really felt super proud about the movie. I can't think of anything that I felt was a big mistake in making it, so it's disappointing," he said. "Billy is so, so, so talented, so funny, so creative, has such a big heart. So it's disappointing, but this is a business."
Perhaps Macfarlane said, "Bros" will find its audience over time. "There's a long tradition of films that don't kill it in the box office but stand the test of time," he said, "and I believe Bros will be like that."
In "Platonic," Macfarlane plays an attorney, raising three children with wife Sylvia (Byrne), whose world gets turned upside down when his wife rekindles a friendship with the unpredictable Will (Rogen).
It's not a love triangle situation but rather a very grown-up story about what happens when your old friends don't necessarily fit in with your new life.
"Charlie's uptightness is something that comes naturally to me," said Macfarlane. "Nick (Stoller) would often poke fun at me during the filming of 'Bros' – he's like, 'You're very stiff.' And that is just kind of the way I move, which seemed appropriate to Charlie. He's really got a strong moral center, and he believes in doing things the right way, and he's a little stiff. [With] Seth and Rose's really easy calm, it makes for a good contrast." And good TV!
Read Macfarlane's complete interview at The Hollywood Reporter.
