Summer 2023 belonged to the Barbie movie. The film made history after crossing the 1 billion dollar box office threshold. Even the official soundtrack is on track to set records in the music sector. One of the standout tracks is Billie Eilish’s Grammy Award-nominated song “What Was I Made For?” But in the eyes of Meryl Streep, Billie and Finneas’ off-screen contribution to the film is grander than the public realizes.
On Thursday, January 4, during the Palm Springs International Film Awards, Streep took a moment to sing the praises of the sibling duo. According to People, Streep said to the pair, “You have delivered the ‘Barbie’ love bomb.”
She added, “You’ve saved the movies last summer. All of our jobs. You’ve delivered joy to countless generations and genders of people, and you should surf that wave, kids — until you are old and deserve to be jaded like me.”
Billie and Finneas reportedly blushed in response to Streep’s flower-giving.
In November, as part of a Hollywood Reporter feature, Billie spoke candidly about what went into penning the moving ballad. “I thank God for [Barbie director Greta Gerwig], man,” she said. “I honestly was concerned that it was over for me. I’ve got to be honest with you. She saved me, really, honestly. Getting that request it was like a FaceTime, it brought us both out of it, and immediately we were inspired and wrote so much more after that. Especially when it came out, I was like, ‘Aye yai yai.’ It was like somebody reading your diary or something.”
Barbie is available on streaming now.
