Behind-the-scenes photos of Margot Robbie dressed in head-to-toe pink for the live-action Barbie flick have fans very anxious to see what she brings to the classic doll. Due to be released in 2023, Margot Robbie, who also is co-producing the flick, has hinted that the movie will be like nothing audiences expect to see.
Margot Robbie has received critical acclaim for her roles as everything from prominent women in history to an eccentric comic book character. Known for showing keen insight into the roles she's chosen to play, she's become recognized as an actress hungry for a challenge rather than an actress with a beautiful face. Though the Australian actress has a diverse repertoire, the users of Ranker have helpfully picked out just which roles she shines the brightest in.
Note: Ranker lists are live and continue to accrue votes, so some rankings may have changed after this publishing.
I, Tonya (2017)
In I, Tonya, Margot Robbie stars as former Olympic ice skater, Tonya Harding, which landed Robbie an Oscar nomination in 2017. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Steven Rogers, the film was received positively for telling an important story and inspiring sympathy for a misunderstood character, all through a whirlwind of erratic narrations.
Displaying Harding's challenging beginnings as an amateur skater to her unexpected rise to stardom, the biopic was received well by critics for its authenticity to the story. Having spent five months of training for her role, Robbie's commitment to becoming Harding paid off. Much of her own skating ended up in the final cut of the film (though the more challenging tricks were done by doubles, per Looper), helping the one-ice shots appear more realistic.
Peter Rabbit (2018)
"The Tale Of Peter Rabbit" originally published in 1902, is a beloved children's bedtime story. The release of the movie in 2018 paid homage to the adventurous rabbit and was a hit with family audiences. Staying true to the hilarity of the storybooks, the movie centers around a cheeky Peter Rabbit and his three sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail staging the ultimate garden heist.
The film has an extensive cast list with the likes of Rose Byrne and James Corden. Animation allows actors to perform larger than life, and Robbie's role as the innocent and shy Flopsy brings genuine charm to the story.
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Diving into the origin story of the most adorable villain ever seen in the DC universe, Birds of Prey delivers a smorgasbord of Harley Quinn in all her charismatic glory. Harley Quinn gained a new wave of audiences with the release of Suicide Squad in 2016 and Birds of Prey shows a much more compelling character with more of her own personality and growth.
Shining at the center of this girl-power DC film, Robbie is accompanied by a diverse and talented assemblage of co-stars. The film's script became a movie celebrating feminine strength and shows them discovering and honing their powers to back each other up in a city where men continue to let them down.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
In Mary Queen Of Scots, there are strong themes of femininity, showcasing historical figures navigating their way to what they want. Mary struggles to her rightful place as England's ruler while the current monarch Queen Elizabeth I works to keep it. The historical drama picked up award nominations for makeup and costume design, and it also boasts a star-studded cast including Saoirse Ronan and David Tennant.
Past portrayals of the regal figure by Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren showed her at the height of her reign, starting the Elizabethan era and basking in her role as queen. From Robbie, we see a queen scarred from smallpox, vulnerable, and emotionally exhausted, which gives the historical figure more depth that hadn't before been seen on screen.
The Legend of Tarzan (2016)
Margot Robbie stars opposite Alexander Skarsgard in this live-action remake of a well-known story, which shows audiences life after the jungle for Tarzan. Forced to revert to his previous jungle-dwelling lifestyle, Tarzan, now known in society as John, must save his wife Jane who's been abducted by an envoy while investigating government activities in the Congo.
Adapted from the series of adventure novels written in the 1900s, The Legend of Tarzan's script liberally borrows from historical events and real-life characters. Christoph Waltz is cast as Leon Rom, a diamond-hungry subordinate of Belgian King Leopold II who, factually and in the film, colonized the Congo in the 1880s. With flashbacks to the beginning of Tarzan and Jane's love story throughout this action drama, audiences are reminded of how romantic an unlikely love story such as this can be.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Margot Robbie originally brought the eternally twisted Harley Quinn to the spotlight in this DC comic action film. Praised for her adaptation of the delightfully deranged and lovestruck partner of the infamous gangster The Joker, she has since appeared as the villain-gone-unlikely-superhero in three films.
Gaining a reputation amongst critics as a film with a muddled plot, Suicide Squad boasted a talented cast and was more humorous than previous DC movies. The collection of underdog heroes including Will Smith as Deadshot, gives no shortage of talent and indicated to audiences that DC can mix their darkness with surprising humor and fun shenanigans.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
The Suicide Squad, released in 2021 is sequel and soft reboot for Suicide Squad 2016. Returning characters, including Viola Davis' Task Force X Supervisor Amanda Waller, recruits 13 more unlikely heroes to execute a dangerous mission to save the world from a powerful threat in exchange for shortened prison sentences.
Bringing back Harley Quinn to the big screen was a no-brainer for Director James Gunn, who stated he wanted to give her a fresh take in her third movie appearance; "We get to see other sides of her... she's making choices that are for her healthy" (per Den Of Geek). An accomplishment for Gunn is that he didn't lose the characters in the action. The Suicide Squad may feel like a rollercoaster without brakes, but it’s a well-calibrated action comedy with bursts of intense action.
Focus (2015)
Heist movies are a dime a dozen, but a really good con film is another thing entirely. Focus, released in 2014 and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, is a crime comedy-drama focused around the antics of a seasoned con-man, played by Will Smith, and an inexperienced grifter, portrayed by Robbie.
The characters of the movie remain pleasantly charismatic. The story develops into a story of intense double-crosses and vulnerable character development. It's a great example of large-scale filmmaking, which proved Robbie's range and ability to hold an audience with theatrical twists and seductive scenes.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Robbie plays the late 1960s model Sharon Tate, depicted in the days leading up to her unfortunate death, but with a Quentin Tarantino twist that turns history into a fairy tale. In this love letter to Hollywood, Tarantino brought together not just a stellar cast but a thought-provoking storyline to one of the most infamous moments in celebrity history.
Fans of Tarantino's filmmaking style will recognize his penchant for utilizing themes of vengeance, non-linear plots, and pop-culture references to create an alluring story. Robbie's Sharon Tate is the emblem of normalcy, as the story around her becomes chaotic and uncontrolled, giving audiences a Tarantino twist on her infamous run-in with The Charles Manson Family.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street is widely considered one of the best films of the 2010s, which depicts stockbroker Jordan Belfort as he oozes his way into Wall Street. Earning Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar nomination for portraying Belfort and being the breakout film for Robbie, the story follows a man with humble beginnings who takes over the stock market in the 1990s.
Like many biopics, the film chronicles the rise and fall of many characters as they scheme their way to elite status as Wall Street brokers. It's full of evocative scenes that manage to give audiences a taste of the lavish life achieved by folks who flew too close to the sun.