Margot Robbie Wanted to Become an Actor After Seeing Brendan Fraser’s ‘George of the Jungle’

Margot Robbie has made quite a name for herself in Hollywood thanks to a list of must-see projects. Her success proved that acting was the right career move for her. However, it was a profession she became interested in thanks to a surprising source.

Margot Robbie briefly studied law before becoming an actor

Robbie’s parents thought their daughter might be best suited for a career much different than acting. In a resurfaced interview with Blush, Robbie discussed her brief path to becoming a lawyer. She was confident that if she continued pursuing an education in law, she would’ve been a more than efficient attorney.

“Once I graduated from high school, my parents forced me to study law. They wanted me to become a lawyer! I was very capable and I think I could have worked wonders in a courtroom. But I couldn’t see myself pursuing a career in law,” Robbie said.

But Robbie couldn’t muster the same passion for law as she did with acting. So she decided to drop out of law altogether and work odd jobs to save up for her acting career.

“So I dropped everything and had just one goal: to travel. The ultimate goal of my journey was to unpack my bags in Hollywood and stay there. But to do that you had to earn a living. I worked in a surf shop for two years. I then worked as a babysitter and making sandwiches for Subway. What else? Oh yes, I worked in a grocery shop, then a pharmacy,” she said.

Margot Robbie wanted to become an actor after seeing Brendan Fraser’s ‘George of the Jungle’

Many actors were inspired and motivated to enter the film industry after seeing other movies. Robbie was no exception. Although she felt the movie that inspired her might not have been what others expected.

“I would love to say: Hiroshima mon amour, In the Realm of the Senses or 2001: A Space Odyssey, but that’s not the case! The first film that got me interested in this business was George of the Jungle with Brendan Fraser. Don’t ask me why but I loved that film,” Robbie said.

Her parents, however, weren’t as sold on Robbie’s career choice as she was.

“My parents didn’t see it coming. When I started expressing this desire to perform, they thought it would be a hobby. Something that wouldn’t last. As time went on, they realised that I was super-determined and that there was no way I would be twiddling my thumbs in Hollywood,” she said.

According to Robbie, it took her parents a while before they saw how successful of an actor she was.

“I think the day they really knew I had become a professional actress was when I showed them a huge poster of me on a skyscraper in Times Square in New York. They were very proud. On the other hand, that was also the moment they realised that I wouldn’t be going to university,” she added.

Margot Robbie’s least favorite part about acting

There are many perks that Robbie enjoys about performing in films. But there was one type of acting she felt always took her out of her comfort zone. Anytime Robbie found herself acting all by herself created a bit of anxiety for the star.

“I get nervous anytime I have to act on my own. I need to be with other actors, then my focus is on what they’re doing and all I need to do is react to it. I’m too in my head if I’m on my own,” she once told The Hollywood Reporter (via Project Casting).