The delightful and brilliant Margot Robbie has starred in and produced countless blockbuster hits during her colorful cinematic career, captivating and charming audiences. Since her small screen debut in 2008 on the Australian soap opera Neighbors, the actress steadily appeared in both television shows and films before nabbing her breakthrough role in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 Oscar-nominated picture The Wolf of Wall Street. The dark comedy went on to become a stepping stone in the star’s ever-growing popularity and talent, as she went on to achieve widespread recognition with appearances in films like Z for Zachariah, Mary Queen of Scots, and Bombshell.
Her performance as the off-kilter yet endearing Harley Quinn in David Ayer’s 2016 superhero flick Suicide Squadfurther propelled Robbie as an acting force to be reckoned with, cementing her status as a movie star. She became so popular and admired, that all Adam McKay had to do was feature her in one great scene of The Big Short, explaining mortgages and sub-prime loans (in a bathtub), for the internet to blow up.
The dynamic actress garnered further acclaim as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in the biopic I, Tonya and appeared in legendary director Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, portraying the late actress and model Sharon Tate. The decorated and adored Robbie most recently reprised her role as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey and James Gunn’s 2021 spectacular The Suicide Squad, and is set to portray silent film actress Clara Bow alongside Brad Pitt in the upcoming period drama Babylon. She’s even set to play Barbie alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken; directed by the great Greta Gerwig, it’s a seriously strange idea and collaboration, but very promising. These are the best Margot Robbie movies so far.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 Focus
The always entertaining Will Smith and Margot Robbie teamed up to headline the 2015 crime dramedy Focus, which follows career con artist Nicky Spurgeon as he takes ambitious femme fatale Jess Barrett under his wing and teaches her the craft. Famed sleight-of-hand artist Apollo Robbins served as a consultant for the picture, with Robbie learning how to pickpocket from the self-described gentleman thief.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Despite mixed reviews for the dramedy itself, Smith and Robbie’s on-screen chemistry garnered appreciation from critics, and the duo would once again join forces for 2016’s Suicide Squad. The New York Times praised the actors, writing: “Mostly, it is fun to watch Will Smith and Margot Robbie, and to marvel at whatever divine or evolutionary miracle concentrated so much charisma in the two of them.” Robbie was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the British Academy Film Awards for her captivating portrayal of the inexperienced but aspiring grifter.
8 Bombshell
Jay Roach’s 2019 drama Bombshell is based upon the accounts of the women at Fox News who set out to expose CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, and features a gifted cast including Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. For the engrossing picture, Theron and Kidman portrayed real-life journalists Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, respectively, while Robbie starred as composite character Kayla Pospisil. To prepare for the film, Robbie watched the Fox News shows she imagined Kayla would enjoy and created a fake Twitter account, so she could observe the performative opinionated tweeting of “young millennial conservative girls.”
Bombshell debuted to mostly positive reviews, with specific praise for Theron and Robbie’s compelling performances as the ambitious and determined women; the pair both earned Academy Award nominations for their roles. The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed, “The actors throw themselves into their roles with terrific zeal, enlivened by the often blunt dialogue and issues at stake.”
7 Suicide Squad
For the 2016 DC Comics superhero extravaganza Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie joins a star-studded ensemble cast including Will Smith, Jared Leto and Viola Davis to bring the beloved comic characters to life on the big screen. Robbie famously portrayed the lively and fascinating supervillainess Harley Quinn, and spent six months preparing for the monumental role by learning boxing, gymnastics, aerial silk training and how to hold her breath underwater for five minutes.
The actress described the electrifying Quinn as one of the Squad’s most manipulative members and her relationship with the Joker as being “completely dysfunctional,” and that Quinn is “mad about him – like, literally, mad. She’s crazy. But she loves him. And it’s a really unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship. But an addictive one.” Robbie’s performance in the film was heralded as its greatest asset and Harley Quinn comic co-creator Paul Dini was thoroughly blown away, stating, “I felt she had a really good sense of humor about capturing the character and there are moments where you see her mind is always working. She really captured the kinetic energy of the character.”
6 Z for Zachariah
Based on the Robert C. O’Brien novel of the same name, 2015’s sci-fi drama Z for Zachariah centers on an emotionally charged love triangle between two men and a woman who may be the last people on Earth following a disaster that wiped out most civilization. Appearing alongside Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie stars as nuclear-apocalypse survivor Ann Burden, who lives a rural life on her family’s valley farmstead but finds her secluded existence disturbed by the separate arrival of two mysterious men.
Robbie adopted an Appalachian accent for the film and joined the project just five days before production began, after Amanda Seyfried dropped out of the role. The actress grew up on her grandparents’ farm in rural Queensland and, despite such little time to prepare, felt right in her element; she revealed, “When I got there, they were all worried they would have to teach me how to milk a cow and drive a tractor and shoot guns. I was like, ‘No worries, I got that stuff covered.’”
5 Mary Queen of Scots
For Josie Rourke’s 2018 historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, Margot Robbie portrayed Queen Elizabeth I opposite Saoirse Ronan’s depiction of the titular ruler of Scotland. The film depicts Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, culminating in Mary being condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution. Robbie was intimidated by the hefty role and almost didn’t appear in the drama, having told Entertainment Weekly: “That history of portrayals was definitely something that ran through my mind many times. I’m not going to lie, I was terrified, and I initially passed on the role.”
Though the film was met with mixed responses by critics who criticized the historical inaccuracies, both Robbie and Ronan’s performances were met with widespread praise. The Washington Post heralded the brilliant actresses’ portrayals, writing: “The most spirited heart and poignant soul of Mary Queen of Scots are Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie as Mary and Elizabeth, whose contradictory relationship accommodates hostility, jealousy, admiration and sisterly love with affecting seamlessness.”
4 The Wolf of Wall Street
The esteemed Martin Scorsese directed the 2013 Oscar-nominated crime comedy The Wolf of Wall Street, featuring an insanely talented cast like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Margot Robbie. The movie is based on entrepreneur and convicted felon Jordan Beflort’s memoir, and recounts his career as a stockbroker in New York City and how his firm Stratton Oakmont engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street, ultimately leading to his downfall.
Robbie’s breakthrough role as Naomi Lapaglia, the wife of Belfort, earned rave reviews from critics and audiences alike; the actress revealed that during the audition process she improvised a slap on DiCaprio during a fight scene that effectively led to her winning the part. The Wolf of Wall Street was a knockout at the box office and Robbie’s performance was singled out by many critics; Awards Daily commented, “She’s Scorses’s best blonde bombshell discovery since Cathy Moriarty in Raging Bull. Robbie is funny, hard and kills every scene she’s in.”
3 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Notorious visionary Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the 2019 dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which is set in 1969 Los Angeles and centers on a fading television actor and his stunt double as he strives to recapture fame and success in a rapidly changing film industry. The events coincide with the looming threat of the Tate Murders, and according to Tarantino’s tagline features “multiple storylines in a modern fairy tale tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.”
Robbie poignantly portrays movie star Sharon Tate and was the director’s “first and only choice” to play the late actress; to prepare for the emotionally-driven role, the vibrant performer met with Tate’s family and friends, watched all of her films and read the autobiography by Tate’s then-husband Roman Polanski. Sharon’s sister Debra had reservations about the project, but after visiting the set and meeting the cast, changed her opinion. Debra was deeply moved by Robbie’s portrayal, saying, “She made me cry because she sounded just like Sharon…it just touched me so much that big tears started falling. The front of my shirt was wet. I actually got to see my sister again…nearly 50 years later.”
2 Birds of Prey
Warner Bros.
For Cathy Yan’s female-driven 2020 superhero flick Birds of Prey, Margot Robbie once again stars as the crazed criminal and all-around spellbinding Harley Quinn, this time acting as a producer as well. Robbie was determined to make a female ensemble action film and spent three years developing the project with her production company, making a concerted effort to hire both a female screenwriter and director. Regarding her commitment to Birds of Prey, Robbie expressed: “I’d been thinking for quite some time how there was a real gap in the market for a female ensemble action film. And I love action films, and I think there’s a misconception perhaps subconsciously for people: action films are for dudes, girls don’t really like them. Which is just not true.”
The picture was a critical success, with reviewers praising its fast-paced action sequences and Robbie’s charmingly quirky portrayal of the beloved DC character. Birds of Prey won the award of Best Blockbuster Film by the Hollywood Critics Association; a sequel and Black Canary solo spin-off are currently in the works at HBO Max.
1 I, Tonya
The 2017 biographical sports film I, Tonya is a dark comedy with an impressive cast of cinema elite including Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Allison Janney, and follows the life of figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection to the 1994 attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Robbie starred as Harding and produced the picture, and met with the infamous athlete and spent several months learning rigorous skating instruction with choreographer Sarah Kawahara. I, Tonya premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews, with critics lauding Robbie’s powerhouse performance of Harding.
The Observer commended the brilliant actress, breathlessly writing: “Like the jaw-dropping triple-axel jump that made champion figure skater Tonya Harding famous, Margot Robbie’s performance in this satirical, postmodern tale of the disgraced star is a tour-de-force tornado that balances finely nuanced character development with impressively punchy physicality…Robbie never puts a foot wrong as the proud Portland outsider.” The dynamic star earned an Academy Award nomination for the role and won Best Actress in a Comedy at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
