Meet the Mattel CEO who convinced Margot Robbie to become Barbie – and is being played by Will Ferrell in the movie

• Ynon Kreiz is the CEO of Barbie-maker Mattel, and the brainchild behind the doll's live-action film.
• He earmarked Margot Robbie to play Barbie, and has driven the group's push to exploit its brands.
• The handsome CEO is being played by Will Ferrell and told Bloomberg: "We do enjoy self-deprecation."

After a marketing campaign that started last summer when pictures of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling rollerblading as Barbie and Ken emerged, the "Barbie" movie is just days away from its July 21 release.

But behind the scenes, one man is eagerly awaiting a pivotal moment for the company that makes the world's most famous doll.

Ynon Kreiz is the CEO of Mattel and the brainchild behind Barbie's move to the big screen. He's being played by Will Ferrell in Greta Gerwig's film, which is just the start of his ambitious plans for the company's many toy brands.

Who is Ynon Kreiz?

Kreiz is by no means a toymaker, nor did he join Mattel with a penchant for supply chains, manufacturers, or even the trends that drive parents to buy dolls for their kids.

His background is in TV and joined Mattel from Maker Studios, a content creation network where he was CEO that was acquired by Disney in 2014. Before that, he ran Endemol Group, which owns smash reality show formats including Big Brother and Deal or No Deal, and also co-founded Fox Kids Europe.

The Israeli became CEO at Mattel in 2018 with the company facing an existential crisis. The toymaker was grappling with declining sales of its dolls including Barbie, which accounted for a quarter of Mattel's $6 billion in sales last year.

After being Mattel's fourth CEO in four years, Kreiz was determined to use his experience running media companies to reinvent Barbie and its other well-known brands and saw an opportunity to turn the doll into a star of a live-action movie.

Speaking to London's City AM in June, Kreiz recalled how just a few weeks after starting at Mattel, he earmarked Margot Robbie as the perfect actor to play Barbie.

Soon, the pair met for lunch and Robbie was convinced to sign on as a producer before Mattel took its pitch to Warner Bros. A movie deal, with Greta Gerwig signed on to direct, would quickly follow.

Self-deprecation

According to Bloomberg, Mattel gave Warner Bros. and Gerwig huge creative license on the movie - including how Mattel and its bigwigs would be portrayed.

Kreiz, with his chiseled jaw, pearly white teeth and broader good looks, might look more like Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, than the ghoulish CEO played by funnyman Will Ferrell.

"We do enjoy self-deprecation, and we're happy to play the game," Kreiz told Bloomberg, adding that any mockery of Mattel was a nod to the company's past missteps.

He told Bloomberg that he flew to the UK during production to see Ferrell's take on him. Ferrell is listed only as "Mattel CEO" in the film's credits, adding an element of ambiguity.

The anticipated box office success of "Barbie," which is expected to take at least $80 million on its opening weekend, may pave the way for Mattel to get more films based on its toys produced.

Already, Kreiz is planning dozens of live-action movies based on other Mattel toys such as Hot Wheels and Masters of the Universe in what could become its very own cinematic universe. Indeed, Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya is attached to star in an "adult" adaptation of Barney the dinosaur.

The "Get Out" star said then the project was first mooted in 2019 that "Barney was a ubiquitous figure in many of our childhoods, then he disappeared into the shadows, left misunderstood."

In 2021 it was revealed that "Girls" writer and star Lena Dunham was helming a movie for MGM about Mattel's Polly Pocket micro-doll character starring Lily Collins. It's not known when that film might be released.

While there is much hype about "Barbie," Mattel will be hoping that putting her and her friends on the big screen also translates into a sales surge.

The company's stock price has fallen 10% in the past year and is valued at just $7 billion. Arch rival Hasbro is worth $9 billion, but its shares have sunk by 22% over the same period.

Kreiz - and investors - may be wise not to hold their breath, though, given analysts think Barbie sales will be flat this year despite the movie's release, according to Bloomberg.