20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘Barbie’ Star Margot Robbie
If you’ve already seen the immensely popular films “The Wolf Of Wall Street” and “Suicide Squad”, you’ll totally agree that Margot Robbie is an amazing actor who’s extremely versatile. Her career has reached new heights, making her more popular than ever in Hollywood as she takes on the titular role in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie.
Apart from her exceptional acting skills, this Hollywood sensation is proving herself to be a multifaceted woman, fearlessly diving into different acts of adventure that others can only imagine or dream of. Here are some interesting facts about the Australian actor that you might not be aware of.
Ice Hockey Player
Margot grew up loving her one and only sport: Ice Hockey. She always wanted to be able to play ice hockey, but she grew up in Australia, and obviously, that was not an easy thing. Being a huge fan of the “Mighty Ducks” movies, her dream came true when she traveled to the States and was briefly involved in an ice hockey league.
Margot Robbie’s love for the sport was so strong that she and her friends dressed up as the Mighty Ducks for Halloween and walked around New York at one point.
Getting Drunk On Set
While filming “The Wolf of Wall Street” alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie openly admitted to struggling with anxiety in the presence of the A-list actor. She had to resort to taking three shots of tequila to shoot their love scene.
Given her relatively young age as an actor at the time, it was natural for Margot Robbie to feel nervous about the idea of performing an intimate scene with a Hollywood legend.
Almost A Marvel Superhero
Almost all careers have a “could have been” moment, and Margot is no exception. After The Wolf Of Wall Street, her fame skyrocketed, and she started getting plenty of interesting offers. One of them wanted her to play Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four reboot.
Ultimately, the role went to Kate Mara. As it turned out, Margot politely declined that offer in order to become Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.
Circus School
In addition to her various activities and roles, Margot Robbie explored a few hobbies. When Margot was eight, her mother enrolled her in a circus school. Her dedication to learning the craft led to her earning a trapeze certificate.
When the opportunity arose to portray the iconic character Harley Quinn in “Suicide Squad,” Margot’s diverse skill set came into play. Drawing from her past experiences and training in circus arts, she effortlessly brought a sense of authenticity into a particular scene in the movie.
24-hour Birthday Party
In 2014, Margot Robbie decided to host a 24-hour birthday party for her 24th birthday. The event was held in London where they visited Hyde Park and some of London’s diviest bars.
“We ended up at progressively filthier and filthier bars until, at 9 am, we full-circle ended up back in our courtyard and popped another bottle of Champagne,” Robbie said. She also added that she had been planning it since she was 16 years old. Nothing beats the sense of accomplishment to get over a terrible hangover.
Soap Operas
Even though Margot Robbie’s major breakthrough came with “The Wolf Of Wall Street”, it appears that her success wasn’t overnight. Margot began acting when she landed an acting job in a TV show, a soap opera known as “Neighbors” where she played a character named “Donna Freedman”.
Fun fact: her appearance at the show was a guest start, but soon the producers fell in love with her acting and renewed her contract for 3 more years!
Faked Her Death
In her childhood days, Margot had a babysitter who was different from her former favorite, whom she described as “really grumpy and mean”. To keep the “old” sitter away, she devised a creative plan.
With a kitchen knife next to her, she covered herself with ketchup sauce and continued to lay there for about 40 minutes until her babysitter arrived. The babysitter left for good after that.
Unhealthy Eating Habits
There is a tendency to assume that such good-looking actors and celebrities have a very specific eating and exercise routine that helps them be in shape and look healthy. Well, Margot is once again the exception as she has recently admitted that she is devouring french fries, burgers, and tremendous amounts of pizza.
“I don’t have a very good diet. I love beer, fries, and burgers, but if I have to get in a bikini, then I eat carrot sticks for three days. I’m one extreme or the other”, the actor said.
“Maggot”
When Margot was a child, her classmates used to call her “Maggot.” Obviously, this derived from her first name, “Margot”, and unfortunately stuck with her for years and gave her trouble throughout her childhood. She said that it started when she was five years old and that she absolutely detested it.
However, by the time she turned eight, she recognized that it wasn’t going away, so she decided to embrace it. Patience is a virtue though and now her classmates wish that they were nicer to her.
Amateur Tattoo Artist
Margot clarified that she lacks formal training in tattooing, but she took matters into her own hands by purchasing a tattoo gun on eBay. Margot shared that the cast of “Suicide Squad” collectively decided to get matching tattoos of the word “Skwad” on their arms.
It’s hard to resist the idea of getting a tattoo from Margot Robbie, and even Cara Delevingne couldn’t say no to it! The British model even shared an Instagram photo of Margot on the set in character as Harley Quinn, tattooing her foot.
Stuffed Bunny
Margot Robbie has held on to one childhood treasure she can’t let go of: her stuffed bunny. But her husband, Tom Ackerley, isn’t exactly Bunny’s biggest fan. Margot playfully shared that Tom likes to toss Bunny out of the bed, probably because he finds it a bit funny that she still sleeps with it.
“Maybe he’s a little jealous that Bunny always gets priority place in the bed. He thinks I’m asleep and he’ll throw Bunny out of the bed, and I get so cross with him”, Margot said.
Offered To Do Playboy
After her remarkable performance in “The Wolf of Wall Street”, Margot Robbie was asked to feature in Playboy under a huge offer. However, Margot politely declined, explaining that she only bares it all for artistic reasons and doesn’t feel the need to reveal her body on the cover of such magazines.
Margot emphasized that she’s not shy about her body image and that she takes pride in her youth and beauty.
Being a Barbie Role Model
Margot Robbie shared that she would have declined the role of Barbie if she was the only Barbie character in the movie, as it would send the wrong message. Margot stated, “If Mattel hadn’t made that change to have a multiplicity of Barbies, I don’t think I would have wanted to attempt to make a Barbie film.”
She further added, “I don’t think you should say, ‘This is the one version of what Barbie is, and that’s what women should aspire to be and look like and act like.'”
Robbie as Tonya Harding in “I, Tonya.”
In 2018, Margot Robbie received an Oscar nomination for her outstanding performance as Harding in Craig Gillespie’s biopic. Margot was merely four years old and was still residing in her home country, Australia, when Nancy Kerrigan, Harding’s figure skating rival, was attacked.
When Margot first read the script, she thought it was complete fiction and that the writer was just ‘quirky and crazy’ to come up with the story. She later found out that it was actually based on a true story.
Spaghetti-Bolognese-Eating Competition
During her time on the Australian soap opera “Neighbours,” she faced off with a friend who happened to be her driver on the show. The argument was about who could eat more, and they decided to settle it with a competition.
Margot described the experience as the most physically and mentally challenging thing she has ever done. She revealed that she ended up consuming four pounds of spaghetti bolognese by the end.
Obsessed Harry Potter Fan
Margot is a huge Harry Potter fan who has avidly read all the books by J.K. Rowling. She once told an optometrist that she needed glasses, even though she didn’t, just to get a pair.
As a kid, she celebrated one of her birthdays by reading a Harry Potter book while wearing those non-prescription glasses for the ultimate Potterhead experience.
Roommates With Christina Ricci
You may remember Christina Ricci from a comedy series known as Pan Am that aired in 2011 and 2012. Christina Ricci and Margot Robbie both landed lead roles in these series and they decided to become roommates in order to cut down the cost of rent.
Unfortunately, Pam Am was rated poorly and it was never renewed for a second season so the two of them had to split.
Her Grandparents Never Watched The Wolf Of Wall Street
Margot’s mother, Sarrie, shared that she was comfortable with her daughter’s decision to do a nude scene for her role as Nadine in “Wolf of Wall Street.”
However, considering her grandparents’ perspective, they collectively decided it might not be the most suitable thing for them to see. We kind of agree that it’s probably the best.
She Was Selected Among Many
Margot Robbie has won some interesting roles in the movie industry but that didn’t come easily. She had to compete for major roles over other famous personalities.
For example, she won the role of Tarzan by beating out Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain, and also left behind Amber Heard, Teresa Palmer, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Blake Lively to secure her part in “The Wolf of Wall Street” back in 2013.
Trained By A Master Diver
Margot Robbie is absolutely fierce, one-of-a-kind, and incredibly brave, with a whole array of talents to be proud of. For her role in “Suicide Squad”, she went the extra mile as she was trained by a master diver to hold her breath underwater for a remarkable five minutes during a crucial underwater scene.
She Loves Writing Letters
Margot Robbie is quite the sentimental and old-fashioned soul. She loves putting pen to paper and writing letters rather than relying on emails.
In a delightful twist of fate, Margot’s preference for letter-writing played a significant role in getting her the role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood after she sent him a snail mail.
Tomboy
It may be surprising to imagine that someone as tall, blonde, and strikingly attractive as Margot Robbie was actually a tomboy during her formative years. According to her childhood friends, Margot’s personality was far from “girly” due to her hobbies like Ice Hockey, motorbikes, and hunting wild pigs.
Margot was drawn to things that many might not have expected from a young girl. Her ability to embrace her unique interests and break away from conventional norms has undoubtedly contributed to her success as an actor who can effortlessly tackle diverse roles.
Rise to Stardom
It’s a little-known fact that before her glory days, Margot had some major financial problems. During her teen years, she had to take day jobs like working at a local surf shop, Subways and she even cleaned the houses of neighbors.
As it turned out, Robbie managed to balance out work and acting perfectly and here she is today!