Advanced English Listening Exercise

This listening exercise is a conversation between two famous actors. Margot Robbie is an Australian actress known for films such as The Wolf of Wall Street, and Barbie, which she also produced. She speaks with an Australian Accent. Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor in both film and television. He is best known for his role in the Peaky Blinders TV series, as well as films such as Inception, Dunkirk, and Oppenheimer. He speaks with an Irish accent.

In 2023, Barbie and Oppenheimer films were released on the same day. The contrast between the vibrant comedy film about the Barbie doll, and the dark, historical drama about the creation of the atomic bomb captured public imagination. Fans embraced the double release, attending both films on the same day, dressing up in pink or in 1940s costumes. This phenomenon boosted cinema attendances worldwide.

Vocabulary to check before answering the questions: 

• Mattel - The name of the company that produces Barbie dolls 
• A double billing – When two different films are promoted or shown together. 
• To assuage concerns – To calm someone’s worries or fears.

Watch the Video and Answer the Following Questions 

1. (00:00-00:17) Why do people often shout “Hi Barbie” at Margot Robbie in the street, and what does Margot Robbie think about that?  
2. BONUS QUESTION: What idiom does Margot Robbie use here?
3. (00:33–01:03) To what extent did Margot Robbie know that the Barbie movie was going to be a success? 
4. (01:03-01:16) Who are Greta Gerwig and Noah, what were their roles in the making of Barbie movie? 
5.  (01:16-01:44) TRUE OR FALSE - After Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig was the first person to know about plans for a Barbie movie.

6. (01:44-02:36) Reactions to what 2 things made Margot Robbie start to believe that the Barbie movie was going to be a cultural phenomenon? 

7.  (02:37–02:47) Based on the film clip, summarise what activity had Barbie planned to do when Ken asked if he could come to her house. Did she agree that he could come over? 

8.  (02:47–03:22) What did the company Mattel, the original makers of the Barbie doll not know before the film script was released, and why? 

9.  (03:22–04:03) What often happened on Margot Robbie’s Zoom calls with Greta Gerwig and Noah during Covid? 

10.  (04:34–05:11) What were Margot Robbie’s concerns when she saw the film script for the first time? 

11.  BONUS QUESTION - What idiom does Margot Robbie use with the word ‘day’? 

12.  (05:11-06:39) Why did Margot Robbie need to have a lot of ‘conversations’ after receiving the script, and what were the conversations about?

13.  (06:49-07:18) For what 2 reasons did director Christopher Nolan want the Oppenheimer movie to come out in the summer? 

14.  (07:18-07:22) What do the actors share a joke about here? 

15.  (07:22-07:48) What was Margot Robbie discussing on the phone, and what do both actors agree on? 

16.  (07:48-07:59) What does Cillian Murphy suggest that the simultaneous release of the 2 movies showed? 

17.  (07:59-08:27) What does Margot Robbie suggest that the simultaneous release of the 2 movies showed?

Answers 

1. (00:00-00:17) Why do people often shout “Hi Barbie” at Margot Robbie in the street, and what does Margot Robbie think about that?  People shout “Hi Barbie” at Margot Robbie because of her famous role in Barbie and the popularity of the “Hi Barbie, hi Ken” scene from the film. Margot says she doesn’t mind—it happens a lot, but she prefers people shouting that to shouting other things at her.
2. BONUS QUESTION: What idiom does Margot Robbie use here?  She says that Greta “made a meal out of” the “Hi Barbie” scene. This idiom means Greta put a lot of effort and drama into it, making it bigger or more elaborate than expected.
3. (00:33–01:03) To what extent did Margot Robbie know that the Barbie movie was going to be a success?  Margot says she was about 90% sure it would be a big hit, but there was still 10% of her that worried it could go badly wrong. So, she was very confident overall but aware that there was some risk.
4. (01:03-01:16) Who are Greta Gerwig and Noah, what were their roles in the making of Barbie movie? Greta Gerwig is the film’s director and co-writer, and Noah co-wrote the movie with her.
5.  (01:16-01:44) TRUE OR FALSE - After Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig was the first person to know about plans for a Barbie movie. False. Margot says the project began about six years earlier, when they first got the rights from Sony and moved it to Warner Bros. Only after that process did she approach Greta Gerwig to direct and write. So, Greta wasn’t the first to know about the plans.

6. (01:44-02:36) Reactions to what 2 things made Margot Robbie start to believe that the Barbie movie was going to be a cultural phenomenon? First, Margot noticed strong public reactions to the announcement that Greta Gerwig was directing the Barbie movie — people were surprised and intrigued by the combination. Second, when photos of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling rollerblading on Venice Beach were released, the images attracted far more attention than she expected.

7.  (02:37–02:47) Based on the film clip, summarise what activity had Barbie planned to do when Ken asked if he could come to her house. Did she agree that he could come over? In the clip, Ken asks if he can come to Barbie’s house. Barbie says she doesn’t have anything big planned—just “a giant blowout party with all the Barbies, planned choreography, and a bespoke song.” She agrees that he can come by, but it’s clear the event is more about Barbie and her friends than about spending time with Ken.

8.  (02:47–03:22) What did the company Mattel, the original makers of the Barbie doll not know before the film script was released, and why? Mattel didn’t know that they were going to be a character in the film, because Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach refused to let anyone see it until it was completely finished. That’s part of their creative process—they prefer to write privately, without outside interference, and only share the final version when it’s ready.

9.  (03:22–04:03) What often happened on Margot Robbie’s Zoom calls with Greta Gerwig and Noah during Covid? During those Zoom calls, Greta and Noah would talk about ideas for the film and often start testing out bits of dialogue or scenes verbally in front of Margot and her producing partner. It felt like watching two comedians try out material — they would bounce ideas off each other, sometimes creating parts of scenes spontaneously during the conversation.

10.  (04:34–05:11) What were Margot Robbie’s concerns when she saw the film script for the first time?  She worried that Mattel would never allow them to make it.

11.  BONUS QUESTION - What idiom does Margot Robbie use with the word ‘day’? She says the script “would never see the light of day,” meaning it would never be publicly released or produced.

12.  (05:11-06:39) Why did Margot Robbie need to have a lot of ‘conversations’ after receiving the script, and what were the conversations about? She had many conversations with Mattel to make them feel more comfortable with the film’s bold and unconventional tone. Robbie had to explain that the meaning behind the words could be different from the literal dialogue.

13.  (06:49-07:18) For what 2 reasons did director Christopher Nolan want the Oppenheimer movie to come out in the summer?  First, he wanted it to be released as a big summer cinematic event. Second, he has a personal superstition about that time of year; many of his films traditionally come out around July 21st, so he wanted to keep that pattern.

14.  (07:18-07:22) What do the actors share a joke about here? That it was a good date because they both came out on the same day.

15.  (07:22-07:48) What was Margot Robbie discussing on the phone, and what do both actors agree on? Margot recalls a phone call with producer the Oppenheimer producer who suggested that Barbie should move its release date. She refused, saying that if he was scared to compete, he should move his date instead. Both she and Cillian laugh and agree that releasing the two films together turned out to be “a perfect double billing” and a great pairing—something the audience loved.

16.  (07:48-07:59) What does Cillian Murphy suggest that the simultaneous release of the 2 movies showed?  He says it showed that audiences still have a strong appetite for cinema—that they like to go out to watch movies.

17.  (07:59-08:27) What does Margot Robbie suggest that the simultaneous release of the 2 movies showed?  She says it proved that algorithms can’t predict people’s real interests because audiences have eclectic and unpredictable tastes. She notes that people willingly watched both films—one dark and serious, the other colorful and comic—demonstrating that audiences enjoy variety and don’t like being told what to watch.

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