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Latest News: Greta Gerwig Eyes Her First Oscar Win for Barbie
Despite being one of the most discussed Oscar snubs this year, Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director at the 2024 Academy Awards. However, the writer-director of Barbie remains in the race for a trophy at the March 10 ceremony. Gerwig received her second Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (her fourth nomination overall) for the billion-dollar blockbuster, which she co-wrote with her husband, Noah Baumbach. In total, Barbie secured eight nominations, including a nod for Best Picture.
Gerwig recently spoke to Time about her reaction to the Academy Award nominations. “A friend’s mom said to me, ‘I can’t believe you didn’t get nominated,’” Gerwig recounted. “I said, ‘But I did. I got an Oscar nomination.’ She replied, ‘Oh, that’s wonderful for you!’ I was like, ‘I know!’”
While Barbie did not win the Best Screenplay award at the 2024 Golden Globes, losing to Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Gerwig and Baumbach will face stiff competition at the Oscars in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Their contenders include Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, and Tony McNamara’s Poor Things. Should she win, this would be Gerwig’s first Academy Award.
Who Is Greta Gerwig?
Greta Gerwig is an acclaimed director, screenwriter, and actor. She initially gained recognition as an actress, particularly in independent films, and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Frances Ha. Gerwig made her solo directorial debut with 2017’s Lady Bird, which garnered critical acclaim and earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Following her success with Lady Bird and her well-received adaptation of Little Women, Gerwig achieved her greatest box-office triumph with Barbie, the highest-grossing film of 2023 and the top-earning movie ever directed by a woman. She frequently collaborates with her husband and fellow filmmaker, Noah Baumbach.
Early Life
Greta Celeste Gerwig was born on August 4, 1983, in Sacramento, California. Her father, Gordon, worked at a credit union, and her mother, Christine, was a nurse. As a child, Gerwig studied ballet but stopped due to her height—she now stands at 5-foot-9. However, she continued exploring dance through jazz, tap, modern, and hip-hop.
In addition to her interest in dance, Gerwig was a competitive fencer during her youth, at one point ranking third in the state of California. Though her high school’s costs forced her to abandon the sport, she occasionally fences for fun.
In high school, Gerwig developed a passion for theater, which she continued to pursue in college. She attended Barnard College at Columbia University, majoring in English and philosophy, and graduated in 2006. During her time at Barnard, she performed in an improv group alongside future Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon, with whom she created “really wonderfully strange musicals.” Gerwig also continued writing and acting in plays throughout her college years.
Movies Greta Gerwig Has Acted In
Initially aspiring to become a playwright, Greta Gerwig shifted her focus to acting after being rejected from multiple MFA programs in playwriting. Her film career began while she was still in college, with a small role in Joe Swanberg’s LOL (2006), marking her entry into the “mumblecore” subgenre, which is characterized by its micro-budget films featuring naturalistic settings, improvised dialogue, and handheld camera work. Gerwig gained prominence with larger roles in mumblecore films such as Baghead (2008) and Yeast (2008), and she co-wrote and starred in Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) and Nights and Weekends (2008), the latter of which she co-directed with Swanberg.
Due to the modest pay of these films, Gerwig juggled multiple jobs, including tutoring and nannying, to support herself. Her career advanced significantly when director Noah Baumbach cast her in Greenberg (2010) alongside Ben Stiller, initiating a series of collaborations between the two, who later married.
In 2011, Gerwig appeared in a remake of Arthur opposite Russell Brand and had a role in No Strings Attached, featuring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. She also starred in Whit Stillman’s Damsels in Distress and Woody Allen’s To Rome with Love, both released in 2012.
Frances Ha
Gerwig and Baumbach co-wrote Frances Ha (2013), in which Gerwig plays a struggling dancer navigating complex relationships and career challenges in New York City. Her performance garnered critical acclaim, with Sight & Sound praising her ability to convey the character’s chaotic exuberance and rigorous determination. The Independent noted her portrayal of the insecurities of the character, and Gerwig received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her role.
Mistress America and Beyond
Gerwig and Baumbach again collaborated on Mistress America (2015), with Gerwig in the lead role. However, she expressed frustration over the perception of her contributions to their joint projects, stating in a 2017 interview with The New York Times, “Something that used to really hurt me is, people would say, ‘Did you help write the script?’ And I’d say: ‘I co-wrote it. I didn’t ‘help’ to write it.’”
Despite not reaching A-list status, Gerwig maintained a busy schedule. In 2014, she starred in the CBS pilot How I Met Your Dad, although it was not picked up. That year, she also appeared in The Humbling alongside Al Pacino. In the lead-up to 2016, Gerwig took on roles in Maggie’s Plan directed by Rebecca Miller, Jackie (which chronicles Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s life), and 20th Century Women.
While Gerwig continues to act, she has shifted her focus towards writing and directing. At the Women in Entertainment Summit in 2017, she expressed her desire to produce films centered on women’s experiences, stating, “I want to produce women’s films, because I think women want to see films made by people who know what they’re talking about, what the experience is.”
Movies Greta Gerwig Has Directed: Barbie, Little Women, and Lady Bird
To date, Gerwig has directed three feature films: Lady Bird (2017), Little Women (2019), and Barbie (2023). She holds the record for the highest-grossing film directed by a woman with Barbie.
Directorial Breakthrough with Lady Bird
Gerwig’s Lady Bird is a coming-of-age story centered on a high school senior, aptly named Lady Bird, navigating her final year in Sacramento. The film focuses on the complex relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, portrayed by Laurie Metcalf, rather than conventional romantic plotlines. Originally titled Mothers and Daughters, the film explores themes of identity and familial love.
Upon its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2017, Lady Bird received widespread acclaim. According to Rotten Tomatoes, it achieved a remarkable streak of 196 positive reviews, making it the record-holder for the most consecutive “fresh” reviews. The film won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Gerwig’s life experiences mirror those of her protagonist: both grew up in Sacramento and attended an all-girls Catholic high school, and both sets of their parents pursued similar careers. However, Gerwig clarifies her differences from Lady Bird, stating, “I was nothing like Lady Bird. I never made anyone call me by a different name. I was very much more of a rule follower and gold-star getter. But the core of the movie, the sort of deep, complicated love of a family and a hometown, that’s all really close to my heart.”
Creating Lady Bird was not without challenges; Gerwig invested years into writing the script, which expanded to 350 pages at one point. She completed it in 2015, but securing financing proved difficult. Gerwig emphasized the importance of the mother-daughter relationship, which she felt had been underrepresented in cinema. She wrote personal letters to songwriters, seeking permission for music that resonated with her during her youth.
Little Women
Gerwig’s subsequent project, a cinematic adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, premiered in December 2019 to critical acclaim. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, alongside Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, and Meryl Streep. Critics praised Gerwig’s ability to remain faithful to the complex family dynamics of the novel while masterfully reshaping the narrative. The film garnered six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and acting nominations for Ronan and Pugh, ultimately winning the Oscar for Best Costume Design.
Barbie
In 2023, Gerwig directed Barbie, a fantasy comedy co-written with her husband Noah Baumbach, featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the titular roles. While Mattel aimed for a summer blockbuster to launch a series of brand-extension films, Gerwig sought to challenge audience expectations and provide commentary on contemporary society. The screenplay drew inspiration from various sources, including the biblical story of Adam and Eve and John Milton’s Paradise Lost, as well as classic films such as Stairway to Heaven (1946) and An American in Paris (1951).
Barbie made history with a staggering $356 million in global box office sales during its opening weekend, marking the largest debut for a film directed by a woman. Released alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the films generated significant social media buzz, leading to one of the largest box office weekends ever. Ultimately, Barbie grossed over $1.4 billion worldwide, surpassing all other 2023 releases and breaking the record for the highest-grossing film directed by a woman in under three weeks. Previously held by Patty Jenkins for Wonder Woman (2017), which earned $822 million, Gerwig’s accomplishment was a notable milestone.
At the 2024 Golden Globes, Barbie won the inaugural Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award and Best Original Song for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” Gerwig received nominations for both Best Director and Best Screenplay, leading to her fourth Oscar nod. She and Baumbach are nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the film is also contending for Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards in March 2024. Notably, the absence of Gerwig from the Best Director nominations has sparked considerable discussion in the awards community. Furthermore, Time magazine recognized her as one of its 2024 Women of the Year.
Future Projects
Currently, Gerwig is adapting the first book of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series for Netflix, which is part of a two-film deal with the streaming service.
Husband Noah Baumbach and Children
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, who have collaborated professionally on several projects, began their romantic relationship following Baumbach’s separation from his first wife, actress Jennifer Jason Leigh. After 12 years of partnership, Gerwig and Baumbach were married, publicly announcing their union in December 2023.
The couple is the proud parents of two children. Their son, Harold, was born in March 2019, followed by the birth of their second son in July 2023. While Gerwig had previously confirmed her second pregnancy, the couple has chosen to keep details about their youngest child private, including his name. It was only months after his birth that Gerwig disclosed this information in an interview with Elle UK. Additionally, Baumbach shares a son named Rohmer with his ex-wife, Leigh.