‘I, Tonya’: The movie that made Margot Robbie realise she is “a good actor”
Following a regular role in Neighbours, Australian actor Margot Robbie has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most prominent contemporary stars. Over the past decade, Robbie has secured a number of significant roles, most recently landing the part of the iconic doll in Greta Gerwig’s third feature, Barbie.
However, the actor received her breakthrough in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, playing Naomi, the wife of Leonardo Di Caprio’s Jordan Belfort. At just 22, Robbie did a fantastic job performing alongside long-established actors, propelling her to mainstream fame. Although the actor was initially anxious about her newfound recognition, even going as far as to consider quitting her profession, Robbie stuck to it and soon landed herself a nomination for ‘Best Rising Star’ at the BAFTAs.
In 2016, Robbie gained further widespread recognition after playing Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, a project that was followed by Birds of Prey, in which the actor reprised her role, and the standalone sequel The Suicide Squad. However, a turning point for Robbie came the following year when she starred as figure skater Tonya Harding in the Craig Gillespie-directed biopic I, Tonya. The 2017 film was an instant success, grossing $53million against an $11million budget.
Robbie’s performance was critically lauded, earning the actor an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Actress’. Talking to Refinery 29, she explained that she rigorously trained for the part, although she initially found ice skating rather difficult. “I did like four or five months of training, five days a week, four hours a day. It was a lot. […] I was face-planting until I could really wrap my head around the topic. I quickly discovered that it was a brutal sport and incredibly difficult. I trained for ages, and after a while, I started making progress, and after a while, it became really fun. I really love it.”
Discussing her connection to the character, Robbie told Deadline, “With Tonya, I focused on the fact she was an athlete and the ultimate underdog. I found that very easy to get behind. I love watching gangster films, which are essentially variations on the underdog rising to the top. There’s something there that you can really get behind.”
Robbie’s complete dedication to the role, delving into the mind of a woman villainised for decades and finding “so much I could understand about her,” made her performance come to life. Speaking to an audience at a BAFTAs event in 2022, Robbie revealed that her portrayal of Harding made her realise she is “a good actor”. After watching herself on screen, Robbie found the confidence to “reach out to my idols,” which led her to contact Quentin Tarantino, subsequently landing a role as Sharon Tate in his 2019 movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Since I, Tonya, Robbie has continued to scoop up significant roles, appearing in films such as Terminal and Babylon, solidifying her as one of the industry’s most in-demand stars.
