Credit: Warner Bros Pictures
Under Her Eye
Margot Robbie’s best film roles, from Barbie and I, Tonya to Bombshell and The Wolf of Wall Street
2 years ago
8 min read
From I, Tonya and Bombshell to The Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie has certainly made her mark in cinema. While we wait for the release of Barbie, here are her best roles.
Right now, the name Margot Robbie is synonymous with one thing: Barbie. And it makes sense. Greta Gerwig’s long-awaited film is released in cinemas on 21 July, and the fanfare around it has been significant to say the least.
While we can’t wait to see Robbie’s take on the beloved doll, at a time like this it’s also worth remembering her other brilliant roles. Thanks to her Oscar-nominated turn in I, Tonya and her breakout performance in The Wolf of Wall Street, the Australian actor and producer has cemented herself as a silver screen regular and a critics’ favourite.
Whether you’re heading to the cinema in pink this weekend or planning a Barbenheimer double feature, here’s where else you can watch Robbie in all her glory.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Despite the film’s sometimes divisive reviews and her relatively small role, Robbie was able to make an impression in the her scenes as Sharon Tate, actor and wife of Roman Polanski who was murdered by members of the Manson Family cult. Robbie was, like in all of her other roles, commended by critics across the board for bringing her A-game. She was even praised by Tate’s real-life sister Debra for her spot-on portrayal.
Where can I watch Once Upon A Time In Hollywood? Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is available to watch in the UK.
Babylon
In this epic period black comedy-drama film charting the rise and fall of multiple characters during Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound films in the late 1920s, Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy, a brash, ambitious self-declared “star” from New Jersey. But as sound film displaces silents in the late-1920s, Nellie struggles to navigate sound film’s demands and increases her drug use and reckless gambling, tarnishing her reputation and leading her into a downward spiral. The dark and complex role lead to her being nominated for Best Actress at the 2023 Golden Globes.
Where can I watch Babylon? Babylon is available to stream on Apple TV.
Bombshell
2020’s Bombshell was based on the accounts of the women at Fox News who set out to expose CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment. It told the provocative real story of three whip-smart, ambitious, strong women who, after anchoring one of America’s most powerful news networks, become headlines themselves when they risk everything to stand up to the man who made them famous.
Starring alongside Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman, Robbie played the role of Kayla Pospisil, a fictional victim whose testimony ultimately helps bring him to justice, earning her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 Academy Awards.
Where can I watch Bombshell? Bombshell is available to watch on available to buy or rent on Amazon in the UK.
Suicide Squad
Perhaps one of her most widely-known roles from recent years, Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn in DC’s Suicide Squad has been widely lauded as a highlight (if not the saving grace) of the film. While it received pretty dismal reviews from critics, Suicide Squad still drew an impressive $750 million dollars worldwide when it opened at the box office, likely down to the appearances of Robbie, Jared Leto, Will Smith, Cara Delevigne, Viola Davis, and the rest of the movie’s all-star cast.
Robbie’s character is a morally reprehensible and yet disarmingly charming, bat-wielding baddie that has been a long-standing favourite for fans of the comic books. As a result, the character’s debut on the big screen was hotly anticipated, and Robbie did not disappoint. Despite being handed a somewhat lukewarm, gone-mad-for-a-mediocre-man storyline and a hyper-sexualised costume, Robbie emerges as the standout performance of the film. Making the most of every moment she has onscreen, she delivers on her character’s warped and arresting charisma and really drives home just how indulgently dangerous and quintessentially badass Harley is.
So, while the film itself didn’t quite live up to expectations, it’s well worth a watch as the film that helped to cement Robbie’s star status.
Where can I watch Suicide Squad? Suicide Squad is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
The Legend of Tarzan
From the novels and short stories published in the early 20th century to Disney’s animated reprisal in the 90s, and every iteration in between, Tarzan is an absolute classic. In 2016 it was re-imagined again for the live action cinema age in the blockbuster movie The Legend of Tarzan. The film centred on its title character, played by Alexander Skarsgård. Tarzan is raised in the jungle by apes, and turns Victorian aristocrat courtesy of his English wife Jane (Robbie). But when Jane is captured in a plot intended to trap Tarzan, she becomes a pawn in a game from which her husband must save her.
When she was first approached to play the part of Jane, Robbie was reluctant. “There’s no way I was going to play the damsel in distress,” she told Vogue. But after reading the script she changed her mind. This modern-day Jane is, in fact, the very sort of fierce and enigmatic figure that Robbie is so adept at playing, with a quick wit and fiery personality that is more than enough to keep her out of trouble.
Where can I watch The Legend of Tarzan? The Legend of Tarzan is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Undoubtedly one of the wildest and most controversial movies of 2013, The Wolf of Wall Street centres on the hugely moneyed and corrupt stockbroker Jordan Belfort, and is based on his memoir of the same name. This was the first major title that Robbie landed after she moved to Hollywood from Australia, and boy was it a big one to add to the CV.
Acting across from Leonardo DiCaprio as Belfort, she played the role of his wife Naomi. Headstrong and hyper-glam, Robbie absolutely nailed the role and stunned everyone with her “comedic genius, all-bets-off feistiness, grounded, hardscrabble toughness and emotional daring”. That quote, just FYI, is a description of Robbie from the film’s director, the Martin Scorsese. Robbie clearly knows how to make an impression.
Full to bursting with sex, drugs, debauchery, and more swear words than you can shake a stick at, The Wolf of Wall Street was a box office sensation, and catapulted Robbie from a rising star to one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Where can I watch The Wolf of Wall Street? The Wolf of Wall Street is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
I, Tonya
Based loosely on the real-life story of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, this biographical and satirical movie delves into the controversy surrounding her rivalry with fellow athlete Nancy Kerrigan. The film shows how Harding’s then-husband, Jeff Gillooly (played by Sebastian Stan), orchestrated an assault on Kerrigan to prevent her from competing opposite Harding.
Playing the title role, Robbie’s characterisation presents the infamous athlete as determined and morally dubious and doesn’t shy away from exploring Harding’s raw emotional instability, courtesy of her abusive momager and her ex-husband. Once again (and you may be starting to notice a pattern here), Robbie drew major praise for her performance, receiving her first nomination for Best Actress at the Oscars and winning a whole host of other awards.
Where can I watch I, Tonya? I, Tonya is available to buy or rent on Amazon in the UK.
Goodbye Christopher Robin
In a complete departure from the badass roles we have come to know her for, Robbie takes up the role of Daphne Milne, the wife of Winnie the Pooh author A. A. Milne. Set in the English countryside in the wake of the First World War, Daphne resents her quaint surroundings and travels to her hometown of London for extended periods to resume her socialite ways. In the meantime, her husband (played by Domhnall Gleeson) and young son Christopher Robin go for walks in the woods and make up tales about the boy’s adventures with his cuddly toys, with the ensuing national success of the stories causing fractures in the family.
Robbie has said that she embraced her character for her flaws and fear of motherhood.
Where can I watch Goodbye Christopher Robin? Goodbye Christopher Robin is available to buy on Amazon in the UK.
Mary Queen of Scots
Flexing her impressive English accent once again, the Aussie actress played the role of Tudor monarch Queen Elizabeth I, cousin to Mary Queen of Scots (Saoirse Ronan) in the eponymous movie. The film follows their bitter rivalry, prompted by Mary’s claim to the British throne. Full of love, envy and drama, Mary Queen of Scots explores these two iconic queens and their difficulties navigating a world populated by treacherous and entitled men, despite the fact that that they themselves are the most powerful people in the room.
Both Robbie and Ronan’s performances are stellar, with both actors giving multifaceted portrayals of their own characters and the complex power dynamics that ultimately led Mary to her death.
Where can I watch Mary Queen of Scots? Mary Queen of Scots is available to buy or rent on Amazon in the UK.
About Time
While admittedly not her biggest role Robbie still manages to make her mark in this charming British rom-com (with a sci-fi twist). Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Robbie’s onscreen husband from Goodbye Christopher Robin, alongside Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy, About Time sees the awkward, time-travelling Tim Lake move from Cornwall to London to start his career as a lawyer and, he hopes, to find love.
Robbie plays Charlotte, a friend of Tim’s family and his unrequited first love. His early attempts at confessing his feelings to her do not go well, and his attempt at a redo is much the same, forcing him to realise that “all the time travel in the world can’t make someone love you”. Her return later in the film provides Tim with an opportunity to stray from his girlfriend Mary (McAdams), but instead prompts him to walk away from Charlotte and propose to Mary. Cue their adorable married life and all the difficulties faced because, and in spite of, Tim’s secret power.
Where can I watch About Time? About Time is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.
Images: Warner Bros
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