The Unusual Reason Why Margot Robbie Feared She Would Be ‘Not That Great’ in Her Breakout Role
Margot Robbie is one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. She’s been on the scene for only a few years but has made big waves in the entertainment industry. From her breakout role in the Leonardo DiCaprio drama The Wolf of Wall Street to a star turn in Suicide Squad, Robbie has earned acclaim from audiences and critics for her range and versatility. Although Robbie often plays confident, tough characters, the actor was unsure about her role in The Wolf of Wall Street, once admitting she didn’t think she’d be great for the part.
When did Margot Robbie become a star?
Margot Elise Robbie was born in Australia on July 2, 1990. Raised in Queensland, she studied drama as a teenager while working multiple jobs to make her own money. Eventually, Robbie moved to Melbourne to embark on an acting career in earnest, determined to make a splash in the entertainment industry. Even as a high school student, her beauty and talent turned heads, and she acted in several Australian films and TV series, according to IMDb.
From 2008 through 2011, Robbie appeared on the Australian show Neighbours, but by the end of her tenure, she had decided to head to Hollywood. Her breakthrough came only a couple of years later, when Martin Scorsese cast her in his 2013 black comedy, The Wolf of Wall Street, opposite superstar Leonardo DiCaprio.
What did Margot Robbie say about her role in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’?
Though Margot Robbie made a splash as Naomi Lapaglia in the high-profile film, she later admitted she was terribly nervous to work with entertainment heavyweights DiCaprio and Scorsese.
In a 2017 interview with Wonderland Magazine, she revealed she never thought her performance in The Wolf of Wall Street would amount to much. “When I was playing Naomi in The Wolf of Wolf Street, it was so high-tempo sexy. I was acutely aware that the line in the screenplay was ‘the hottest blonde ever,'” Robbie recalled.
“I’m clearly not the hottest blonde ever. I was just terrified that people would see the movie and think, ‘Eugh! She’s not that great.'”
She obviously sold herself short. Scorsese later revealed Robbie immediately impressed him when she auditioned for the part.
“With Margot, you can recall some classic precedents,” Scorsese said in an interview with Time 100. “The comedic genius of Carole Lombard, for her all-bets-off-feistiness; Joan Crawford for her grounded, hardscrabble toughness; Ida Lupino, for her emotional darling.”
The iconic director recalled that when Robbie chose to slap DiCaprio in a spontaneous moment during her audition, he knew right away she was the right actor to portray Naomi.
See her next as the iconic doll in ‘Barbie’
Margot Robbie has appeared in several big movies since her breakout role in The Wolf of Wall Street and earned numerous accolades. But her latest just might just be the most iconic.
The Oscar-nominated actor is taking on the role of the titular fashion doll in the upcoming movie Barbie. As the first live-action movie based on Barbie, the project has generated considerable buzz. Co-starring Ryan Gosling as Ken, Barbie is due out in theaters in July 2023.
