According to Margot Robbie, her performance in the 2017 biopic I, Tonya was the “first time I thought I was a good actor.”
The Hollywood actress stated that it was the point in her career when she felt “confident enough to reach out to my idols,” and she soon approached director Quentin Tarantino.
Robbie made the remarks during a special Bafta event in London on Tuesday, where she reflected on her career.
She discussed parts of her varied and award-winning filmography with Briony Hanson, Director of Film at the British Council, at the Bafta: Life In Pictures event.
Her roles in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), I, Tonya (2017), Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019), Mary Queen of Scots (2018), The Suicide Squad (2021), and, most recently, Babylon were discussed.
“I, Tonya was the first time I watched a movie and thought I’m a good actor,” Robbie said of the darkly comic mockumentary film in which she played US figure skater Tonya Harding.
“I told myself, ‘OK, I’m ready to reach out to my idols.'” That’s when I decided to write the letter to Quentin (Tarantino).”
She also stated that the criticism levelled at Once Upon a Time… in response to her brief appearance on the show, despite playing the fairly significant role of actress Sharon Tate, “did not bother me.”
“I watched it and thought we got across what we wanted to,” she explained.
She also talked about working with Scorsese on The Wolf Of Wall Street, which she co-starred in with Leonardo DiCaprio when she was 22.
Robbie described the film’s production as “a bit of a free-for-all,” adding, “It was like the crazier you are, the more Marty will like it.” And the more screen time you’ll have.
She will next appear in Damien Chazelle’s long-awaited Hollywood epic Babylon later this year, followed by the Barbie film in 2023, co-starring Ryan Gosling.
Other high-profile Hollywood figures who have appeared in the Bafta: A Life in Pictures series include British actors Daniel Craig, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Sam Mendes, Dame Helen Mirren, and Dame Emma Thompson.
