The Big Picture

• Margot Robbie's ability to fully immerse herself in her characters is what makes her performances deeply resonant with audiences.
• Robbie's portrayals in "The Wolf of Wall Street," "I, Tonya," and "Mary Queen of Scots" showcase her range, brilliance, and ability to bring truth to her characters.
• In films like "Birds of Prey" and "Barbie," Robbie's comedic timing and ability to balance humor and depth shine through, solidifying her as a standout actress.

It’s rare that an actor can make an audience forget that what they’re watching is, in fact, a performance. Two-time Academy Award-nominated actress Margot Robbie possesses a striking ability to immerse herself entirely into each of her characters. From the vehement Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street to the insecure Queen Elizabeth I in Mary, Queen of Scots, Robbie’s characters are often flawed and perplexing people. However, she finds the humanity in each one, which is what makes all of her films so deeply resonant with audiences.

Before forging her path as a prominent actor and producer, Robbie got her start on low-budget, indie Australian films during her high school years. Eventually, she eventually landed a role on the Australian soap opera called Neighbours, and then was cast in the American drama Pan Am. While the series only lasted one season, Robbie took off just a year later. There doesn’t seem to be a performance that she doesn’t nail, so it’s time to look at Robbie’s most essential, layered, and interesting performances across film and television.

About Time (2013)

About Time, a half sci-fi half rom-com from Richard Curtis put Robbie on the map as she was gradually becoming prominent in film. The story is a moving, funny tale that centers around Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson), a man who, upon discovering his secret ability to travel back in time, decides to use his gift to find love. While the story focuses on Tim as he falls in love with Mary (Rachel McAdams), Robbie provides a fascinating few short scenes as the charming Charlotte.

Just as Tim is figuring out how to use his ability that’s been passed down for generations, Charlotte comes to stay with his family on vacation. Upon meeting her and immediately becoming infatuated, Tim travels back in time to redo the awkward, uncomfortable moments that could potentially ruin any chance with her. Charlotte is elusive and entrancing, but there’s a subtextual layer to her character that Robbie conveys; she outwardly rejects Tim, yet is unsure of her feelings for him. She gradually becomes an inconsistent and conflicted character. Brilliantly, Robbie manages to express this internal conflict without outwardly saying it. It’s a small role, but the actress has an enormous impact on screen.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

2013 was a breakthrough year for Robbie. After her debut in About Time, she landed the role of Naomi in the now-iconic dark comedy crime film from the master of crime films, Martin Scorcese. The role cemented Robbie as a formidable actor and one that can display astonishing comedic and dramatic range in just the duration of one film. The story chronicles the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a stockbroker who lands himself in a world of deception and greed in a corrupt 1980s Wall Street. In her audition with DiCaprio, Robbie took a chance and slapped the actor across the face. Just when she thought she’d made the biggest mistake of her career, Scorcese reported being stunned by the brilliant, completely improvised move.

Indeed, this is the fire needed for a role like Naomi Lapaglia, a fictional character based on Belfort’s real ex-wife Nadine Caridi. Because the character of Naomi was heavily dramatized and not intended to portray Caridi accurately, Robbie hits the notes of exaggeration throughout the film perfectly. Everything about The Wolf of Wall Street is over the top, gaudy, and loud, including the way Naomi’s character is written. Robbie, however, finds truth in her character and doesn’t just play Naomi for laughs. Through a gradual shift in her expression and tone of voice, Robbie transforms from a young entrepreneur smitten by Belfort’s charms to a tired mother who quickly grows frustrated with her husband’s irresponsible behavior. It's an unmissable, unparalleled performance.

I, Tonya (2017)

For a film that’s saturated with colors, bursting with emotion, and dizzyingly funny, it only makes sense that an actress as magnetic as Robbie was placed at the forefront. The actress transcends as the ferocious, passionate Tonya Harding, a former Olympic figure skater who was framed in a violent, outrageous scandal in the 1990s that left her permanently banned from figure skating. The Academy Award-winning film was so carefully directed by Craig Gillespie that it finally turned the tables on the villain narrative that Harding was saddled with for so long.

Playing a real person as a character is no easy feat. In fact, Robbie had to play Harding at nearly every major stage of her ice skating career: as an adolescent, as a young adult, and in middle age as she reflects on her past. Robbie even deepens her voice into a raspy, more hoarse tone by the time she reaches her adult years to reflect the nature of aging. There are complications that arise with portraying real people and finding the line between the person and a dramatized character. Robbie balanced this line brilliantly. She reported having studied Harding meticulously while still bringing her own personal interpretations to the character. Everything from her posture, always hunched over to illustrate being on the “defense” from the world, to the furrowed eyebrows, reflecting a kind of unrestrained anger. It’s no wonder Harding is such an outspoken fan of the film, she even said, “99% of what happened in this movie is the truth”. Indeed, Robbie finds the truth in her character amidst all its pain, sadness, and joy.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Nearly unrecognizable in her regal 16th-century costume, Robbie stuns throughout this 2018 period piece from English director Josie Rourke. When the young Queen of Scotland Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) returns home from France, her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her throne immediately threatened. As Mary seeks to overthrow her cousin, the two rivals must confront their relationship with each other, and with themselves. While the film’s acclaimed costume and makeup design contribute to a transformed Robbie, her performance is what is most shockingly ethereal.

Throughout the film, Robbie’s delivery is rhythmic, unfaltering, and often slightly chilling as she attempts to ensure her power isn’t taken from her. However, under this resentment, Elizabeth hides a deep layer of self-doubt. Elizabeth I is insecure about herself, her appearance, and later, her inability to have children, which in this era was considered disgraceful. Admitting to feeling inadequate compared to her young cousin, and frequently reminded of how she’s “barren”, one of the strongest scenes is when she places a blanket over her stomach to see how her shadow would appear pregnant. The suffering in her eyes grows clear as she tries to fight back tears. While this moment was a standout, Robbie’s performance is deeply resonant in the entire film.

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (2019)

There are few actresses that could capture the essence of the late Sharon Tate, a gem of Golden Age Hollywood whose tragic death formed part of the basis of Quentin Tarantino’s most recent film. This film, which is another in the director’s arsenal of historic-fictional revenge tales, intertwines several characters in late 1960s Hollywood. At the center of the incredible ensemble cast is a washed-up actor Rick Dalton, played by DiCaprio, and his stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they navigate a changing, and increasingly unfamiliar Hollywood.

Tate herself was intelligent and careful in her words, and always witty and curious. Indeed, Robbie matched Tate’s delivery beautifully, and made for one of the most memorable performances in the star-studded cast. A standout scene is when she walks alone to the cinema to see The Wrecking Crew, the film she’s starring in. Excited about the potential to see the film for free, she comes to the realization that not even the box office ticket workers know who she is. One of the workers, the hilarious Kate Berlant even says, “Why don’t you stand over by the poster, so people will know who you are?” Robbie’s delayed response marks a clear disappointment, a moment resonant for any artist struggling to get their name out there. It pays off beautifully when she sits in the theater, watching others laugh and find joy in her performance.

Bombshell (2019)

Robbie’s second Academy Award-nominated role finds her in an extremely powerful role as Kayla Pospisil, an enthusiastic new employee at the American conservative media channel Fox News. The film chronicles three different women's stories, including the real-life anchors Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) as they suffer a cycle of abuse at the hands of disgraced former television executive Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). While Kelly herself has been outspoken about some liberties the film took, from a performance standpoint, Robbie’s depiction of the ambitious Kayla, whose dreams are slowly crushed under the weight of Ailes’ abuse, is a standout.

Robbie displays one of the year’s best character transformations as Kayla, who, although brand new at the station, is ambitious and determined, with strong goals to be the network’s next weather anchor. However, as she slowly uncovers the truth about the rise to power within the network, the enthusiasm in her eyes begins to falter. Her posture says it all, growing increasingly guarded as she starts to feel eyes on her after a series of traumatic incidents. Her grief manifests into action, and the payoff is one of her character’s final moments is well worth the wait.

Birds of Prey (2020)

You can’t talk about Robbie without talking about her electric portrayal of Harley Quinn. This 2020 installment of the DC Comics franchise, which Robbie also produced, finds new ground in the franchise with a sharp screenplay and plenty of action. After being dumped by the Joker, Harley Quinn finds an unexpected bond with a team of female superheroes as they attempt to save a young girl from a crime lord (Ewan McGregor) in Birds of Prey. However, while the film received acclaim for its action sequences and visual effects, there isn’t enough discussion surrounding Robbie’s brilliant comedic timing throughout the film.

There’s never a dull moment in the film with Robbie on screen, from her bombastic laugh to the violent, oblivious clumsiness contrasted with a manic persona. Robbie is often endearing yet terrifying all at the same time. Finding both the humor and pain within her character is not an easy achievement, yet Robbie manages to defy all expectations in her role.

Babylon (2022)

For Damien Chazelle's look at exploitation and the early day of Hollywood, Babylon wisely put Robbie in the center, as the Clara Bow-inspired actress that rises to the top of Hollywood stardom, struggles through the transition from silents to sound, and meets a tragic end. Robbie's Nellie LaRoy is impossible to take your eyes off of, even when she's surrounded by insane partygoers and even elephants, to the point that it's clear how Nellie would become a star. One of Nellie's best scenes in Babylon is also one of Robbie's finest, as we watch Nellie make slight variations on her performance, until she finds exactly what the director wants from her. These small shifts completely alter the direction of the scene, but they also show just how brilliant Robbie is at nailing exactly the right tone and feeling for each scene. By the end of Babylon, it's understandably why Nellie flamed out in Hollywood, but it's clear why Robbie became such a massive star.

Barbie (2023)

Robbie is always great, regardless of the role, but there might not be a better example of her talents as an actress than in Greta Gerwig's Barbie. In the first half, Robbie gets to play up her comedic side, as she embraces the Barbie life, while also dealing with irrepressible thoughts of death. Robbie has great comedic timing, and even as the film progresses into more serious tones, she's still able to make some of those moments funny. But in that second half, Robbie plays the importance of what Barbie means as an idea and the difficulties of an unideal life with great care, understanding what her intention was as a toy, but also attempting to overcome that life isn't as easy as she once thought. These two halves of the film are a difficult dichotomy to balance, and few actresses could do it quite as well as Robbie does in Barbie.