FROM CHEESY SOAP OPERAS TO LEADING ROLES IN SOME OF HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST PRODUCTIONS. At 35, Margot Robbie is at the PEAK OF HER CAREER - both in front of and behind the camera. In recent years, she has PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE in the effort to give especially WOMEN recognition and space.
From THE GOLD COAST to HOLLYWOOD
Margot Robbie is not just another pretty face in Hollywood. She is one of the sharpest, most thoughtful, and versatile figures in modern cinema. Her career has been driven by timing, talent - and an uncompromising work ethic. These elements have propelled her on an incredible journey from mediocre Australian soap operas to the very top of Hollywood’s A-list. And although every beginning is tough, Margot Robbie has always aimed to deliver top-tier performances:
“I didn’t want to be seen as a blonde bombshell. I wanted to be good. That was always the goal - to be undeniably good,” she said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar UK in 2018.
When she made her international debut, it wasn’t just in any film. In Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), it quickly became clear that she wasn’t just there for decoration - she could steal scenes from Leonardo DiCaprio himself. The legendary director still remembers her audition for the film, as he described in an interview with The Daily Beast back in 2013:
“Margot has a unique combination of beauty and ferocity. She walked into the room and slapped Leo in the face during her audition. It was completely unplanned. She’s fearless.”
In that moment, she wasn’t just noticed - she was respected.
Breakthrough and recognition
Margot Robbie has never taken the safe route on her journey to success. Instead, she has deliberately chosen roles that demand something from both herself and the audience. As Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad (2016) and Birds of Prey (2020), she delivered an unpredictable, wild, and deeply human performance. Critic Richard Roeper described her in the Chicago Sun-Times as “a chaotic tornado of emotion and style. It’s impossible to look away.”
She gained serious recognition for her role in I, Tonya (2017), where she played the controversial figure skater Tonya Harding. The role earned her an Oscar nomination and cemented her status as an actor – not just another star.
Director Craig Gillespie, who made I, Tonya, told Entertainment Weekly that she embodies more than the superficiality that sometimes comes with quickly achieved stardom:
“I quickly realized she was a powerhouse – both as an actor and a producer. She dives deep into her characters without fear.”
Robbie followed this up with strong supporting roles in Bombshell (2019) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), where her presence spoke louder than many lines.
Barbie: When Hollywood Got Something to Think About
When it was announced in 2022 that director Greta Gerwig would take on Barbie as her latest project, many feared it would end up as a pastel-colored cliché. They were proven wrong. The film became a global blockbuster - and a challenge to old ideas about what mainstream movies can and should be. Margot Robbie played the lead role and also served as the film’s producer, which, according to Greta Gerwig, was crucial to the film’s subtle balance between satire and emotion:
“She is a comedic genius, possesses dramatic depth, and has a producer’s eye - all in one person. Margot made Barbie both vulnerable and revolutionary,” she told Time Magazine ahead of the film’s 2023 premiere.
Margot Robbie herself has said that if she were to make Barbie, “let’s do it in a way that flips the script. Let’s make her complex, funny, flawed - real.”
Behind the scenes: The tough producer
What many overlook is Robbie’s influence behind the scenes. Through her company LuckyChap Entertainment, she has produced films that not only sell tickets but also set agendas. I, Tonya (2017), Promising Young Woman (2020), and Barbie (2023) all have something in common: they dare to tackle and question the existing order. She understands the concept of storytelling and manages to make the story vivid and relevant. For her, it’s about being brave and sensitive without compromising the complexity of the story - especially when it comes to telling women’s stories to women.
Her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, which she founded together with her husband Tom Ackerley, is not just a gimmick. It’s a business with punch, carefully curated content - and results. And it’s especially about stories that create space and room for women. As Margot Robbie herself puts it:
“We don’t make chick flicks. We tell stories that haven’t been told. Or that haven’t been told properly.”
A Upbringing with Grit
Margot Robbie was born in Dalby, Queensland, in 1990 and grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast with her mother and three siblings. There, she learned responsibility early on. Her father left the family when she was young, and Margot worked both on a farm and in a bar before moving to Melbourne at 17 to pursue her acting dream.
“I’ve always felt like I had to work harder than everyone else. And maybe that’s a good thing.”
From there, things moved fast: from a role in the Australian mega-series Neighbours (with over 6,000 episodes since 1985), to moving to the USA, and a cinematic breakthrough that only comes once in a generation.
Private life: Ambitious, but not loud
Since 2016, Robbie has been married to British Tom Ackerley. They keep a low profile and clearly separate business from their private life. Leonardo DiCaprio has said about Margot Robbie:
“She is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve worked with. She brings no ego - only passion and an unrelenting work ethic.”
This is not empty praise. She shows up, delivers, and stays focused.
Margot Robbie doesn’t stand still. New roles and productions are on the way, and she has already confirmed that LuckyChap will continue investing in strong stories and seeking greater creative control.
Vanity Fair probably hit the nail on the head when they described her in 2023 this way:
“She’s not just a movie star. She’s a creative force helping to shape the future of Hollywood.”