Margot Robbie names her favourite movie from the ‘old Hollywood’ era
Few actors evoke the halcyon days of Hollywood’s golden age more than Margot Robbie. Since her stint in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours, she has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most revered – not to mention busiest – stars, making her big screen debut in 2013’s About Time, in which she played the object of Tim’s amorous fantasies, Charlotte. That same year, she appeared as Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street, at which point she went international. Her timeless beauty and versatility have put her in good stead ever since, and she remains perhaps one of the film industry’s most coveted female stars
Set in the roaring ’20s, Damien Chazelle’s 2023 film, Babylon, follows a group of ambitious young dreamers as they attempt to make their mark in the decedent and debauched world of silent-era Hollywood. During the film’s red carpet premiere, Cinema Perspective asked Robbie to name her favourite classic film. “My favourite old Hollywood movie? The Philidelphia Story,” she asserted.
Released in 1940 during the ‘talkies’ era, the classic romantic comedy tells the tale of Philadelphian socialite Tracy Lord – played wonderfully by Katherine Hepburn – who decides to separate from her husband, Cary Grant’s C.K Dexter Haven, due to his heavy drinking. She subsequently finds herself enamoured with the wealthy aristocrat called George Kittridge and a charismatic reporter called Macaulay Connor, portrayed by James Stewart in his only Oscar-nominated role.
With Donald Ogden’s witty, fast-talking screenplay providing a laugh a minute and oodles of style, Tracy sets out to establish who it is she truly loves. The film is a reminder of just how important a good script really is. Written by Broadway playwright Phillip Barry specifically for Hepburn, the original stage production reignited the former phenom’s career.
In Patrick McGilligan’s biopic of the film’s director, George Cukor, he recalls how Hepburn had already been labelled “box office poison” for two years by 1940. Stuck in a rut, she decided to take a risk and accept the role of Tracy in Ogden’s production, foregoing a salary in exchange for a cut of its profits, which she then used to buy herself out of her contract with RKO.
The subsequent film version, with its stellar cast, was a huge success and marked the return of one of Hollywood’s greatest female actors. A testament to Hepburn’s resolve and strength of character, it’s no wonder Robbie is such a fan of The Philidelphia Story. You can check out the original trailer below.
