Who Plays President Barbie? Here's Where You've Seen & Heard Her Lately

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" brought to life a rich assortment of fantastic plastic inhabitants who call Barbieland home. Each Barbie and Ken plays a specific role in keeping their pink-saturated society up and running. And keeping Barbieland in order is none other than President Barbie, portrayed by actor and producer Issa Rae. 

President Barbie sees over Barbieland, approving any policies and heading important meetings. She is far from a harsh or overruling leader, though. Like the other Barbies, she's ultimately a fun-loving individual who wants the best for her people, which has earned her a respected status with the population. After breaking out of her brainwashed state from the Kens' patriarchal society, she and the other Barbies manage to outwit and prevent the Kens from taking control of the Barbie Land constitution. 

Issa Rae had warm memories of playing with Barbies as a child. She never realized the significance of her parents giving her Black Barbie dolls until she was older, and this ultimately helped shape her character. In an interview with SiriusXM, Rae commented, "We really got an opportunity to just kind of talk about what the childhood version of me would think of this particular president and how she would address being a president ... when I thought about my young girl self I was just like I imagine a president who's just kind of all about good times and how can you make an already perfect world more perfect?" 

There are few who embody the spirit of a leader quite like Rae, who's led the way in defying the expected roles of Black women in entertainment. 

While Issa Rae had been acting for some time before "Insecure," the HBO series is arguably what skyrocketed her into the mainstream. But perhaps even more significant was the effect that Rae's earnest mission for authentic representation had on audiences. 

Acting as a spiritual successor to Rae's hit web series "Awkward Black Girl," "Insecure" follows Los Angeles native Issa Dee (Rae) as she navigates the trials and tribulations that come with her late 20s and early 30s alongside her close friend Molly (Yvonne Orji). While the show dives into real-world dilemmas affecting the Black community from gentrification to the racist nature of microaggressions, Rae's ultimate goal with the series was to depict Black people in honest and flawed ways. 

"I thought it was massively important, not just for African Americans but just generally for black women all over the world, to see ourselves portrayed so normally," Rae stated in an interview with The Guardian. "'Insecure' shows the humdrum experiences that all black millennial women go through ... It just hits this sweet spot that quite a lot of predominantly white shows allow their characters to exist in, which is to be realistic, complex and live outside of the stereotypes." 

That genuine mission resonated with countless individuals as "Insecure" became a major success. The show ran for five seasons, ending in 2021 with 13 Primetime Emmy nominations including three for Rae's performance and one for outstanding comedy series. It wouldn't be Rae's last time working with HBO, as she later executive produced and guest starred in episodes of the sketch comedy "A Black Lady Sketch Show."

"Romantic" may not be the word that most would use to describe 2020, but Issa Rae's two movie appearances from this time would say otherwise. Her first was "The Photograph" which, despite starring Lakeith Stanfield and receiving positive reviews, was buried under the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Fantasy Island." Rae's next movie, "The Lovebirds," was planned to appear on the big screen, but constant delays due to the pandemic eventually landed it on Netflix. Nevertheless, the rom-com made a notable splash when it later appeared on the streamer. 

The film follows a couple Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Rae) whose lives are turned upside down when they witness a murder and get wrapped up in the case. "The Lovebirds" opened up new avenues for the star and executive producer to explore, namely in the movie's depiction of an interracial relationship between two people of color. Speaking to Vibe, Rae said, "I think it was just more exciting to me [to take part in a different romantic dynamic]. It was just that, and I didn't realize until later. Obviously with working with Kumail, it just like 'Oh, I haven't seen an on-screen pairing like this' and [I] was excited to play with him cosmetically. But yes, it's exciting to see a new and fresh dynamic in movies like this." 

On its Memorial Day release on Netflix, the film topped the streamer's most-watched movies list for its respective week. Even towards the end of the year, "The Lovebirds" managed to remain among the 10 most-streamed films of 2020. 

Issa Rae's last role before "Barbie" came in another one of 2023's biggest summer blockbusters with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" as the hard-hitting Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman. Rae had done voice work before for Netflix's "BoJack Horseman" and the Oscar-winning Sony-produced short film "Hair Love," but "Across the Spider-Verse" presented a whole new world of possibilities and even gave her a new perspective on some previous biases. 

An original take on the Archie Goodwin and Marie Severin-created comic heroine, Drew acts as Miguel O'Hara's (Oscar Isaac) right hand and a key figure within the Spider Society as a whole. Riding a killer motorcycle and boasting some superb web-shooting abilities, Drew is the entire crime-fighting package, performing all these feats while being pregnant to top it all. While strict at times, Drew is ultimately a caring and gentle motherly figure, recruiting Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) due to the dilemmas she was going through with her father. 

As a longtime Spider-Man fan, Rae was thrilled to join the highly-anticipated sequel. She ultimately left inspired by what Drew's never-ending hunger for adventure, even while pregnant, taught her. "It's incredible to look at that and be like, just because the baby is on the way doesn't mean that life stops," she commented in an Insider interview. "You can still be super." Rae is set to reprise her role in the upcoming "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse."