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star attraction in every trailer and sneak-peak
so far. As well as reuniting with her former
Focus
co-star Will Smith, Robbie’s latest
project will, at times, see her playing the
infatuated lover to Jared Leto’s sinister Joker.
“Their relationship is nuts,”
says Robbie of the tempestuous
romance. “It’s really terrifying, but
it’s very engaging to watch.”
And while Leto has been
grabbing headlines with stories
of delivering dead pigs and
live rats to his co-stars, it’s
director David Ayer who
Robbie is crediting with
bringing out both the best
and the beast in terms of her
popular comic character.
W
hen it was announced that Margot
Robbie would be appearing
as maniacal mademoiselle
Harley Quinn in the upcoming DC Comics
extravaganza
Suicide Squad
, we expected
her to bring the same qualities she brought
to her breakthrough part as
The Wolf of Wall
Street
’s Naomi.
We expected glamour, poise, and a hefty
dose of feminine ferocity. We expected her
to be beautiful and bad-ass, effortlessly and
elegantly cool. Perhaps not…
“I’ve fallen a fair few times!” she laughs.
“I’ve fallen into water; I’ve fallen out of a
helicopter. I hit myself in the head with the
fake baseball bat the other night. I can be a
little clumsy.”
Of course, such candid confessions are
part and parcel of the Aussie star’s charm.
Since making her acting debut in
Neighbours
,
Robbie has fast become one of Hollywood’s
hottest properties off the back of Scorsese’s
critically acclaimed black comedy – but she’s
definitely much more of a leading lady than a
traditional damsel in distress.
“A lot of the time I love the male character
and I’m not that excited about the female
character,” she explains. “This project is
probably the strongest example of me picking
up the script and thinking that the female
character is better than the male ones. It’s so
nice to have that opportunity.”
Suicide Squad
is already shaping up to
be one of this year’s most anticipated new
releases; Robbie’s character has been the
“I remember when I first started
researching the role, I had to look online
because this has such a big fan base,” she
says. “It’s such a big following; I wanted to
know why people liked her so much.
“It was obvious people really like the happy
side of her so I definitely didn’t want to lose
that, but having said that, David said it’s a
much darker side of the story – it’s a balance.
Day one was an interrogation. I resisted at
first – you don’t want everyone to know your
deepest, darkest secrets – but it’s probably
the most effective form of directing I’ve ever
experienced.”
As for Robbie’s own off-screen ambition,
the 26-year-old has already begun to step
into a producer role on a number
of “exciting” projects, and
is looking to move to a
permanent position behind
the camera one day.
“We’re working on a
couple of things – all
are female-driven
stories, with female
writers and directors,
so that’s what the
thesis is about,”
she says. “I
definitely want to
direct one day –
I’m not ready yet,
but that’s where
it’s headed for
sure.”
27
INTERVIEW
CINEMA
CINEMA
It’s such a big
following; I
wanted to know
why people liked
her so much
From her humble beginnings on Aussie soap
Neighbours
to making a splash in Scorsese’s
The Wolf of Wall Street
, Margot Robbie’s ascension has caught the attention of Hollywood’s
top directors. Now one of the central stars in
Suicide Squad
, arguably DC’s most-anticipated
project to date, Robbie’s rise shows no signs of slowing down…
Suicide
Squad
is in cinemas
now
Suicide Squad
Focus
TheWolf ofWall Street