Margot Robbie covers the September issue of Vogue Australia. The magazine did multiple covers and… none of them are very good? I like the turquoise background, it pops, but why is “bedraggled cat with busted eye liner” the look for the September cover? I will never know. Anyway, Margot’s cover interview was conducted by Quentin Tarantino and honestly, the piece is rather charming. QT likes her a lot and he’s super-curious about Australia, the Aussie TV community and what it was like for her to transition from Aussie TV star to where she is now. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
How she’s able to work & live in America: “I have a working visa and I’m an American resident. But it does boggle my mind. It’s not something I ever dreamed of doing, because it was so unrealistic.”
Making a plan when she was on the Aussie soap opera Neighbours: “A few months after being on Neighbours, I witnessed a couple of cast members my age making that transition to LA after finishing up their contracts. I remember thinking: ‘Okay, now I have the lay of the land I have three options. One, I get fired because I’m not good enough. Two, I am good enough and I get to stay on Neighbours for 20 years and what an amazing life that would be. Or three, I take the gamble and make the jump over to America and try my luck in Hollywood. So about six months in I made the decision and started saving money and learning the American dialect. You’ve met me with my Australian accent now, but my Australian accent as it was then was very, very Australian.”
Making the move: “Yeah. During my three years on Neighbours I’d gotten a proper agent, Aran Michael, and he started helping me when I said I wanted to make the move. Every year I’d say: ‘Aran, I need to get to America, I’m getting too old. I’m going to miss my opportunity.’ I was 18. For some reason Dakota Fanning was the standard in my head. I’d say: ‘Do you know how many films Dakota Fanning has done by now? And she’s younger than me!’ But he was like: ‘No, we’ve got to time this so you get over there in advance of pilot season, meet with American managers, then come back in January to hit the ground running.’ You only get the chance to be brand-new once, so five days after October 22, which was when my Neighbours contract ended, I came over.”
She basically got her first TV show from her first audition: “Then all of a sudden I was shooting a pilot in New York City. You have to remember I was living on the Gold Coast, so I thought I was living in a city. When I’d see my family who live in Dalby [in rural Queensland] they’d call me a city kid. When I moved to Melbourne to do Neighbours, I was like: ‘Whoa, this is a city.’ Then when I got to New York, I’m like: ‘I was totally wrong, this is what a city looks like.’”
What she loved about QT’s script: “There are so many Hollywood stories and so many stories ingrained in Hollywood history and [the murder of Sharon Tate] is one of the standouts. So did I know Sharon Tate? Well, I knew all about her death. But I’d never ever looked into anything about her life and it wasn’t until reading your script that I suddenly went: ‘Oh my god, I’ve only ever thought about this woman dead.’ I had never taken a second to appreciate her life, and that’s what was so amazing and touching about your script. She became so alive on the page and alive in my imagination. I can see her doing all the things you had her doing, walking around or dancing in a bedroom or whatever it is. And then to go back and do all that research and watch all her movies and see her interviews – it was truly a great gift to focus on her life.”
At some point, I started to figure out why Margot talks so much about her accent and how she’s from Gold Coast – I think there’s some prejudice, within Australia, about Margot and her accent. Like, it’s the same way many people are prejudiced about Southerners and people with Southern accents here in America – people with Margot’s thick Queensland accent are looked down upon within Australia. Right? Or am I reading that the wrong way? Anyway, it’s incredible that at 18 years old, she was already planning out her move to America and preparing for the roles she would be up for, and working on her accent. Incidentally, she has a great ear – I thought her Tonya Harding accent work was really great.
Covers courtesy of Vogue Australia.
I like her a lot. She is versatile, talented and seems really grounded, despite her success.
I agree. There’s a thoughtfulness about her that I appreciate.
I like her too, I think she’s very talented and has a strong screen presence. I wish she hadn’t done the QT movie though, he’s gross.
She did an excellent job with I, Tonya, I hope she continues to produce.
Her face is flawless
Right? She is incredibly gorgeous! I remember seeing her on the tv show Pan Am (it started out so good but quickly descended into something not-so-good, all in its first and only season) and thinking what a standout she was. She definitely perfected her American accent because I had no idea she was Australian until I read it somewhere. She’s so talented and the camera loves her. With one Oscar nom already under her belt she seems well on her way to actually winning one.
I loved that show Pan Am!! I was all ready for that to be my go to lazy watch and then it was up and cancelled! I was starstruck by her then, she is so stunning.
Yes, Pan Am! I remember seeing her and wondering who this absolutely stunning woman was. She is talented and beautiful and she seems like a lovely person.
Agree! PanAm!
Agree! Pan Am!
Scrolling through, I thought it was Taylor Swift trying to do an “edgy” photoshoot.
Hopefully Tarantino didn’t abuse or assault her on set like he usually does to his actresses.
I’m from Melbourne, and most of the time I can tell when someone is from Queensland (or the Northern Territory). It’s not as big a difference as between American accents though.
As an Australian I can confirm that a thick Queenslander accent is looked down upon. It’s referred as ‘bogan’ which our version of white trash. It’s kinda snobby? Anyways I can’t be bothered watch OUATH but I adore Robbie as an actress in general.
Victoria and New South Wales are our most populated states. So the accents blend together.
South Australians say cah-stle where we say cas-tle.
The Gold Coast and most of Queensland has a more bogan/rural accent.
Margot is gorgeous and tremendously talented. Even though she doesn’t resemble Tonya Harding she embodied her. QT’s spin on Sharon Tate was a welcomed surprise.
“Every year I’d say: ‘Aran, I need to get to America, I’m getting too old. I’m going to miss my opportunity.’ ”
This is a really revealing quote about the stresses that actresses have that actors don’t, even when their end aim is the same (i.e. Hollywood stardom). Actresses transition from ingenue to veteran in their late 20s (if they haven’t had a big break by then it’s unlikely to follow – the only exception to this is becoming a sought after supporting character actress in their 50s/60s onwards, and that’s still fairly rare), while actors can be up-and-coming well into their late 30s/early 40s and get chances to become Hollywood megastars during this time and further.
thank you yes
I acted as a child and then in college and when i moved to LA i initially thought i might pursue it. But it is brutal and i was not strong enough to withstand the harshest criticisms (not whether you can act or not of course; its always about your looks, your body, your likability). Anyway I will never forget at 26 being told it was “too late” for me…I had “maybe one good year left to try” but then there was no point 🙁
there are so many opportunities women miss out on bc of awful men either harassing them or reducing them to a number. I find it truly sad that she already felt “too old” at 18 and she is lucky she had a great agent who actually cared for her career, success…but she isn’t wrong to feel the way she did even though OF COURSE 18 is not at all too old.
It’s been years since I’ve acted and that comment struck me too. And then I nodded in agreement. Because that is how you feel as an actress. That you gave a shelf life and a certain amount if time to play certain kinds of roles. Which unfortunately is very true.
I never thought age would matter if you still looked young.
I’d imagine if you just lied about your age you could ‘pass’ and no one would care.
Queenslanders generally have the broadest accents, yes, and most Australians from other states can usually pick a Queenslander from their accent. It is indeed looked down upon. South Australians have the “poshest” of Australian accents and sometimes can be confused with (southern) English(wo)men or New Zealanders. It is quite distinctive and again, non-South Australians can usually tell when someone is from SA. But I agree with Deanna — the difference in Australian regional accents is not as pronounced as those of the US or UK.
Finally a cover that’s nails the styling – it’s beautiful undone styling! I love the white dress, undone hair and winged eyeliner! Beautiful
FWIW – the woman who styled this cover is Christine Centenera, who is now Joel Edgerton’s official girlfriend. Her Instagram’s worth a look.
I think the difference in accent is more city vs country. People from Brisbane sound no different to people from Sydney and Melbourne. I wouldn’t call someone with a broad country accent bogan – bogan is more evident in behaviour, dress and general demeanour.
I think this is right – I can’t tell what state someone is from by listening to them, but I can often tell if someone is from the country or the city. If someone’s is really from the outback, then their accent will often be VERY different.
I think Australian accents vary more because of cultural and economic background rather than geographic location. For me, Indigenous Australians often have quite a distinctive way of speaking, It’s a very charming accent. Another group would be Australians from an Italian background, they have a certain accent as well (which isn’t really Italian).
Gold Coast isn’t Brisbane though. As a Queenslander I promise you that people in Brisbane think people on the GC are a particular kind of trash.
It’s not the accent as such that people look down on. Queensland is like the Australian equivalent of the South. It’s improved since the 80s but it’s still seen as backwards. So is Western Australia if you live in Sydney and Melbourne. Tasmania was always joked about as well, although it’s become cool with hipsters and foodies. Oh and South Australia is just considered boring. Every country has their version of this I’m sure. Heck, Australia divides its cities like this too.