Michael Cera says he wasn't added to the 'Barbie' group chat because he has a flip phone

• Michael Cera will appear in Greta Gerwig's highly anticipated film "Barbie."
• Cera told People he wasn't added to the group chat for Barbies and Kens because he doesn't have an iPhone.

Michael Cera said he wasn't added to the group chat while filming "Barbie."

Cera shared the reason why during an interview with People published Friday ahead of the "Barbie" premiere on July 21. In the interview, Simu Liu revealed that the Kens — referring to the several actors portraying the doll in the film — created a group chat after Margot Robbie threw a Barbie-only sleepover.

"Margot was so great. She had a sleepover with the Barbies before photography started, and the Kens were allowed to either visit briefly or to phone in and say hi," Liu said. "So we made sure to show our support but not be overbearing with our presence. And all the Barbies and Kens got in a group chat."

But Cera, who plays Allen, wasn't added to the chat for a straightforward reason.

"I don't have an iPhone myself. … I have a flip phone," Cera said. "But I still think I wouldn't belong on [the group chat] anyway, because [my character] Allan is sort of in his own little world. Greta's gift for me when I arrived was a picture disc of NSYNC's 'No Strings Attached,' which felt like somehow a real guiding light in the backstory of this character."

Cera explained his tech aversion in a February interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying he has no desire for social media or smartphones.

"And that is a conscious choice, because I feel a bit of fear about it honestly like I'd really lose control of my waking life," he said. "Right when people started having smartphones, when it was Blackberries, I had lunch with a friend of mine who was my best friend at the time, and he'd just gotten a Blackberry, and for the whole meal he was typing emails, and I was sat there lonely and bored."

He added: "So I had an early aversion to them."

"Barbie," directed by Greta Gerwig," has a star-studded cast that includes Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. The film will feature several versions of the classic duo, including President Barbie, played by Issa Rae, and Weird Barbie by Kate McKinnon. Liu will play a version of Ken in the film.