With I, Tonya opening, let’s look at why Margot Robbie is our latest It girl.
Few new actresses have made it in Hollywood with as much impressive force as Margot Robbie. After cutting her teeth on Australian television, she came to Hollywood and almost instantly found herself holding her own alongside some of the biggest actors in the world. As the real-life Tonya Harding in the dark comedy I, Tonya, she's stirring up awards talk with her dynamic performance. Beyond her obvious beauty, let’s run down the reasons why Robbie has taken Hollywood by storm.
She Vanishes Into Her Characters
Some actors stick to a character type (did someone say Johnny Depp?) and build a career out of it. But Robbie has already showcased her ability to slip into a variety of characters. The slick con woman of Focus couldn’t be more different than the gold-digging sex kitten Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street. With her role as the deranged Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, she added “charming psychopath” to her list of can-do performances.
She’s Fearless in Her Roles
Perhaps it’s Robbie’s uncommon fearlessness that makes her so good at playing a wide range of roles. In The Wolf of Wall Street she lays emotionally and physically bare; in Z For Zachariah (above) she played it subtler while dealing with a messy moral dilemma; and in her small role in The Big Short she showed off a playful self-awareness that many actors would avoid at all costs.
She’s Fearless Behind the Scenes, Too
Perhaps Margot Robbie is so good at playing adventurous types on the big screen because she’s awfully adventurous in the real world, too. As you would expect from a native Australian, she’s fond of surfing. However, she also engages in sports on the other end of the athletic spectrum – she’s also a member of an amateur ice hockey team! That came in handy when filming I, Tonya, no doubt. With extracurricular activities like this, it’s no surprise that she’s perfectly capable of taking on her fair share of stunts.
She’s a Comic Nerd (and Yes, We Love That Around Here)
It's one thing to agree to star as a beloved comic book icon, but it’s another thing altogether to reveal you’re a closeted comic book fan. Recent reports have suggested that Margot fell in love with the women of the DC comic universe while researching her role and has pitched a spin-off movie to Warner Bros. that will see Harley joining forces with other superheroines. In a movie landscape bereft of female-led comic book movies, Robbie may be just what Hollywood needs.
She Slapped Leonardo DiCaprio (We Love That Too)
The Wolf of Wall Street was jam-packed with A-listers. And yet, the second lead of the film, a character who shares more scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio than almost anyone else, was played by a mostly unknown blonde actress from Australia. (Did you know she actually slapped him during her audition fight scene? For the record, he and director Martin Scorsese laughed, instead of tossing her out.) In Focus, her magnetism equalled Will Smith’s legendary onscreen charisma. It’s rare to actually watch someone become a movie star with just a few roles, but here we are.
Bonus Reason: She Gives Tattoos, and Sometimes Misspells Them
Now in case you missed any of her films, find them on FandangoNOW.
Here's to you, Margot Robbie:
