Margot Robbie is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable A-listers. She only made her Hollywood debut 15 years ago, but in that short time has played numerous pop culture icons and been up for two Academy Awards. Whether she’s playing Barbie, Harley Quinn, or Tonya Harding, she brings energy and charisma to her roles that are hard to parallel.
Her career shows no signs of slowing down, with her newest film, Barbie, dominating the box office on its opening weekend and receiving rave reviews from critics and fans. Next up, she and her Barbie co-star, Ryan Gosling, will be reunited soon as they are both set to star in an Ocean’s 11 prequel film. Before her number of critically acclaimed performances gets bigger, here’s a look at her 10 best films to date.
The Wolf of Wall Street
In 2013, Robbie had her breakthrough role in the dark comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. She landed the role after she slapped Leonardo DiCaprio during the audition in a move that was wholly improvised. However, it proved that she knew how to fully capture the spirit of Naomi Lapaglia, the manipulative second wife of stockbroker scammer Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio). Although Robbie was the only woman in the predominantly male cast and put up against A-listers like DiCaprio, she more than held her own in the film. She complimented DiCaprio’s performance beautifully as she played the bold, cunning, confident, and dazzling Lapaglia. The Wolf of Wall Street as a whole is a satirical and intriguing dive into the corruption of wealth and the flaws of humanity.
Bombshell
In 2019, Robbie appeared in the intense drama Bombshell, which is based on the true story of the women who came forward to expose Fox News CEO Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment of numerous female employees. While Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman play real-life figures, Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, respectively, Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil, a composite character based on the accounts of 20 different females with connections to Fox. However, she plays the role so authentically and captures these women’s stories so well that viewers will wholly believe she is directly based on one person. The film does a good job of bringing Ailes’ crimes to light and tackling the issue of workplace sexism and harassment, though it is a bit messy in how it glides over the problematic nature of Fox and individuals like Kelly.
Mary Queen of Scots
In 2018, Robbie portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots. The film is based on the biography Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary by John Guy and delves into the parallels and rivalry between Mary (Saoirse Ronan), Queen of Scotland, and her cousin Queen Elizabeth. Mary Queen of Scots puts two powerful women in the spotlight and is an intriguing and dramatized recounting of their grappling for power and its dire outcomes. While not wholly historically accurate, the film is a thrilling delve into politics, power, and sexuality. Its biggest appeal, though, is the performances of Robbie and Ronan, who are completely unrecognizable in their 16th-century transformations and wholly convincing as two powerful, legendary female historical figures.
About Time
Robbie starred as Charlotte in the 2013 rom-com About Time. The film follows Tim Lake (Domhall Gleeson), a man who discovers he has time-traveling abilities. While using his abilities to bolster his love life, he finds that they have unexpected consequences. Charlotte is one of the women he tries to win over through his time travel. She elevates the film with her charming personality and her ability to capture the impact of indecisiveness and fluidity in love and feelings. Meanwhile, About Time as a whole is a charming and humorous journey that sets itself apart from the typical rom-com with its unique time travel premise and deep dive into topics of love, loss, and family.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Robbie brings another historical figure to life in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as she portrays Sharon Tate, an actress and model who became a victim of the Manson family murders. She captures Tate’s legacy beautifully, from her kind spirit to her Hollywood stardom to her generosity, with a performance that even received the blessing of Tate’s sister, Debra. Tate is one of the figures who Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) crosses paths with in his attempts to retain his past glory as an actor despite Hollywood’s Golden Age coming to a close and the new era having little room for him. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an intriguing and powerful commentary on the end of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the 1960s, and the tragic murder of Tate.
Z for Zachariah
Robbie takes up one of her most unique roles in Z for Zachariah as the daughter of a preacher and nuclear apocalypse survivor, Ann Burden. In the post-apocalyptic world, she lives a simple existence until the arrival of survivors John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Caleb (Chris Pine) shatters the peace and creates a tense dynamic between the three, who may be the last survivors on earth. Considering Robbie has played some manipulative and provocative roles, it’s intriguing to see her transform in Z for Zachariah into a gentle, Bible-thumping survivor. Z for Zachariah boasts a unique post-apocalyptic premise but really excels at playing out a bit like an experiment to examine how the flaws of human nature will surface even in a dystopian world.
Barbie
Robbie dazzles in Barbie as she marks the iconic Mattel toy’s live-action debut in a feature film. Robbie is phenomenal in the film, becoming a real-life toy with her initial performance as “Stereotypical Barbie.” However, she also packs a lot of emotion into her Barbie role as the film sees the toy experience the world and change her perception of beauty and perfection. This is similar to how the Barbie film operates. On the surface, it is a wild and zany film that brings Barbieland to life, but within it is a very poignant and feminist tale that takes aim at the patriarchy and Barbie dolls’ and society’s impact on body image and self-esteem in women and girls.
The Suicide Squad
Robbie reprises her role as Harley Quinn in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. The reboot film gave her a much better premise to work with than the first Suicide Squad. Its grit, violence, dark humor, and heartfelt premise of a few underdogs saving the world and forming connections, provided everything Robbie needed to fully capture Quinn. She truly holds nothing back as she portrays the bubbly, energetic, hilarious, and wholly unhinged Quinn, leaving a bloody and gruesome trail of corpses behind her. Quinn is really the crown jewel of The Suicide Squad, which does justice to its comic book counterpart and proves to be just as surprisingly heartfelt and moving as it is gory, irreverent, hilarious, and wild.
Birds of Prey
In Birds of Prey, Robbie gives us a more nuanced and tempered side of Harley Quinn. It’s not hard to feel sympathy for Quinn, as Birds of Prey delves into the impact of the Joker’s abuse and manipulation, which leaves Quinn feeling vulnerable and fearing for her life. Fortunately, we see her regain her energy and deadliness as she finds her identity outside of the Joker and finds companionship in a team of equally deadly and determined women. Birds of Prey is bloody, action-packed, and filled with comic book shenanigans, but it’s also very clearly a women-led and women-directed film that highlights female empowerment in the most entertaining way possible.
I, Tonya
In I, Tonya, Robbie transforms wholly and convincingly into American ice skater Tonya Harding. She is nothing short of spectacular as she captures the fierce and feisty ice skater and delves deep into her life story. Robbie and I, Tonya succeed in sharing Harding’s side of the story by delving into the abuse she faced at the hands of her mother and her husband and how she got tangled in her husband’s scheme to attack fellow ice skater Nancy Kerrigan. Viewers are never sure if they’re getting the completely true story as they delve into the film’s dark and comedic take on this stranger-than-fiction tale. However, Robbie succeeds in showing a side of Harding that was strong, resilient, understandable, and not fully defined by the scandals surrounding her.
(featured image: Warner Bros. / Paramount Pictures / Sony Pictures / Lionsgate Films)
