Margot Robbie covers the December issue of Vanity Fair, mostly to promote Babylon, which comes out just before Christmas. Robbie is likely to be the face of the film and the main actor doing promotion for it, especially given that Brad Pitt is also in the film and he probably won’t/can’t do any interviews to promote it. The VF piece is nice, almost boring, and I’m saying that as someone who likes Margot. She’s smart, which means she side-steps a lot of professional landmines within the interview – Pitt is only mentioned in passing and she has nothing but positive things to say about working on a David O’Russell film (and nothing particularly positive about O’Russell himself). She talks a lot about her work as a producer, which is very interesting. But I did feel like… a little scandal and controversy would probably help hype the film a little bit? I was left feeling like this was just a by-the-numbers celebrity profile. Some highlights:
The decadence of ‘Babylon’: “What you see onscreen is the chaos of making a movie and how f–ked it is, but also how it’s just the greatest thing ever. And, literally, filming it was the exact same thing. Sh-t was so unhinged and so fun and amazing and just absurd. It was definitely the best experience of my life. The way I try to explain this job—and this world—to people is that the highs are really high and the lows are really, really low. And I guess if you’re lucky, it all balances out in the middle.”
On doing on-screen nudity: “I don’t really have a whole lot of modesty left. I don’t feel embarrassed when it’s Nellie doing something. I’d feel embarrassed if it was me, but it’s all her.”
She hates being alone: “I grew up in a very loud, busy house, and so I feel safe and comfortable when there is just chaos around me. I think it’s why I love movie sets.” She hates being alone, she adds, and often invites friends to hang out in her trailer between takes.
Immediately after ‘Wolf of Wall Street’: “Something was happening in those early stages and it was all pretty awful, and I remember saying to my mom, ‘I don’t think I want to do this.’ And she just looked at me, completely straight-faced, and was like, ‘Darling, I think it’s too late not to.’ That’s when I realized the only way was forward.”
Dealing with paparazzi & invasions of privacy: “I know how to go through airports, and now I know who’s trying to f–k me over in what ways…. [but] If my mom dies in a car accident because you wanted a photo of me going in the grocery shop, or you knock my nephew off a bike—for what? For a photo? It’s dangerous but still weirdly nothing feels like it changes.”
The Barbie movie: “Making an obvious Barbie movie would’ve been extremely easy to do and anything easy to do is probably not worth doing.”
She’s a working producer: She’s in those preproduction meetings, she’s on set, she’s putting out fires and getting “yelled at by agents.” When I point out that many actors who get producer credits don’t actually, um, do any producing, she says, “Yeah, that pissed me off. It’s so annoying because I have to fight every time. Then everyone realizes after a few months, ‘Oh, she actually is a producer.’ But even still, people direct all the money questions at my producing partners, never at me. And so many times Tom and Josey have to say, ‘She’s the one to ask, actually.’ ”
Next projects: Robbie’s also in preproduction on an Ocean’s Eleven prequel that she’ll star in and produce. Another franchise spin-off she’d been attached to, a Pirates of the Caribbean film, is dead, she tells me. “We had an idea and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led—not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story—which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it,” she says of Disney.
I totally forgot that she was loosely attached to some Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff or whatever – that’s weird that Disney didn’t want Margot to take on their extremely lucrative property. I wonder if Disney even wants to reboot it or have a spinoff? Hm. Very curious. As for the paparazzi… her family still lives in Australia, and there is a big paparazzi contingent down there. It’s not like American paps are flying to Australia just to get some shots of Margot’s mom. Those are homegrown paparazzi, taking photos for Aussie tabloids and Murdoch’s media empire. Also, I’ve never understood people who can’t be alone. I’m just built a different way – if I never had a moment to myself or had to live in chaos, I would go batsh-t crazy.
Obsessed with this photo, omg.
Cover & IG courtesy of Vanity Fair.
My preferred being is alone. Well, with my cat too. I love & adore my family but I relish the hours I get alone while they sleep. I’m usually up around 1am these days.
Anyway! I get what she means about being easy but sometimes it’s ok to relax & enjoy it all, you know?
It doesn’t have to be hard all the time.
And no more oceans 11 please. It wasn’t great the first time and each iteration is worse.
I tend to forget about her, too. I mean, she’s a beautiful woman and pretty good in films, but not a blazing personality- at least, not to me.
As for easy things not being worth doing, there’s the “easy” that comes from laziness and not being bothered to make something good, and then there’s the “easy” that comes from years of experience perfecting one’s craft.
I dont love, like or dislike her. But her “if it’s easy not worth it” comment it reminds me of nicole kidman who said she made Bewitched for fun and for the food catering on set. I mean, there’s a lot of of reasons why you would choose one and/or the other, why not just do what you feel like? It feels like she’s trying too hard. I can’t pinpoint why im not caring for her more than I do. And that cover pic is triggering to me of a time where models used to look like they were all anorexic. Not a good look. Very passé. Hope that trend never comes back.
Out of context, the comment sounded very strange to me. Honestly, it did. I was ready to go “why not?” and be a bit contrarian about.
But when she made mention of being in a Barbie movie, I figured she meant she didn’t want to be reduced to ONLY being objectified (it’s somewhat part of her job, but not necessarily the whole part). That sort of thing could be “hard” in another way, but I can see why she wouldn’t find it worth doing.
Emily Ratajkowski’s career is built on being objectified, and even she doesn’t seem to want to do Barbie movies. Or maybe no one would actually pay to see that sort of thing and she doesn’t get offered to do those sorts of roles. I’m not sure which…
That Kidman tidbit seems more like a confirmation of Robbie’s statement than a refutation.
Given the Bewitched final product and box office, I mean…
After a glance, I thought the first picture was Olivia Wilde. I didn’t realize their bone structure was so similar. Margot has it all over Olivia, though, IMO.
I think my brain would shut down without solitude.
Same here.
I read somewhere that “pile of scarves” Depp was hired again for the new Pirates film, but who knows if that’s just speculation. I like Margot and enjoy her work, but she’s not the reason why I see her films. Maybe it’s that lack of big personality someone mentions above.
As for solitude, I love being alone. It keeps me sane. I can be “on” for work, occasional gatherings and family visits, but otherwise hell is is other people. This quality drives Mr. Smith nuts.
My best guess is that somewhere along the line Disney promised Depp a piece of or control over future Pirate movies and that meant they couldn’t agree to what Robbie wanted. It happens.
She’s somebody who l like in roles but don’t especially follow what she does IRL, which is fine. And probably better for her that everyone seems to feel the same way.
Her skeletal rib age area is a no, it’s too forced starvation looking.
She’s not that thin maybe it’s the angle.
I love the photo btw.
Let’s not body shame, please.
It looks photoshopped…which is ridiculous. But hey, Hollywood says super skinny size zero is back in style so there ya go ! If this is not what her rib cage area really looks like, she should say something…call out the magazine for this sh*t.
Shoot, even my rib cage looks like that if I stretch at that angle. She’s pretty, those are interesting photos; I noted Hugh Jackman’s name up top. VF really likes Hugh, don’t they? They seem to feature him a lot. As for Margot, I actually haven’t seen her in anything yet. I did see the trailer for Babylon at the theater recently. I’ll take a pass. I see no need to glorify that bad ole days of Hollywood. The movie I did see that I really liked was The Menu, I had no idea what was going to happen next in that movie!
She’s a healthy weight, some people just have a more prominent rib cage.
At her level she had approval of the cover shot and her torso looks very strange. The ribs are a choice.
I’m 5’7, 135 pounds and I have to wear a 38 bra band because of my giant rib cage. Some of us are cursed.
I’m tired of millionaire actors and their advice.
“Anything worth doing, etc”
I have zero sympathy for any millionaire who thrashes thru their money. Johnny Depp is an idiot for the choices he has made. Disney can shut down Pirates franchise and be done with it.
The first was good, Bill Nighy was great as always. None of the rest are worth watching.
Was Bill Nighy in the first one? Do you mean Geoffrey Rush?
Nighy was in the first two sequels. Geoffrey Rush was in the original.
For a split second, I thought that was Olivia Wilde on the cover.
Why is Hollwood rebooting the rebooted and rebooted Ocean’s Eleven? I have been so deeply bored by all the remakes of the movie made by the Rat Pack. Therefore, I propose a remake of “Sneakers.” Does anyone remember the movie “Sneakers” with River Phoenix/Robert Redford/Dan Akroyd /Danny Glover? Excellent group crime caper!!
Cast: Margot Robbie, Angelina Jolie, Margaret Cho, Zoe Kravitz, plus another cast member who plays well against Cho and her fantastic bit about her fat vagina.
Plot: They all gear up and sneak into corporate HQ to vex evil tech billionaire plan to conquer the world. They win, and go on to be the good guys. The End.
Please remake “Sneakers” and not another Oceans 11!! TYVM.
Those people absolutely exist, my husband being one of them. He doesn’t know how to be alone. If I fall asleep early, he can’t sit on his hands and relax in silence. He’ll look for people to call on west coast time, it’s crazy. I am the opposite, I require quiet alone time.
Margot wants that Oscar.
Scandal didn’t do much for Don’t Worry Darling.