Margot Robbie sort of effortlessly side-stepped several Hollywood traps set for her early in her career. You could tell that Hollywood wanted to make Margot into their latest It Girl, someone they could burn out and overexpose in a few years and then throw away. I suspect that she was perceived as a dumb blonde from Australia. But Robbie was so smart – she’s been very choosey about her projects, and Margot and her husband started a production company very early in her career, and they took care to nurture their projects. Margot covered a recent issue of WSJ. Magazine – “The Innovators Issue” – to talk about her production company, Hollywood financing and how she approaches her craft.
She works hard: “I’m a masochist, she told the magazine. Adding that no matter how daunting or draining a role, the actress “can always find a fifth gear.”
Forming LuckyChap Entertainment with Josey McNamara, Sophia Kerr and now-husband Tom Ackerley in 2014: The first project for LuckyChap was the award-winning I, Tonya, which at first, the actress said, was not met with much enthusiasm within the industry, so LuckyChap quickly picked up the option. “They [were] like, ‘You can’t make that…. You’ve got 200-something scenes, several locations, it’s period.’ We read it and were like, ‘But it’s just f—ing great; it’s the best script ever, so who cares?'”
Humble beginnings: Noting that only 1% of the projects now pitched to them are “f— yeses,” Robbie enjoyed reminiscing about the company’s humble, underdog beginnings. “[We were] too young and dumb to know how scary [it would] be. Starting it all off on a kitchen bench in London, everyone was like: ‘They’re such idiots…it would be a miracle if they did anything.'”
The challenges of bankrolling female-led projects. “Today, studios and production companies are considering more female directors and writers. [But] it’s easy to put female names on a list. It’s a bigger hurdle to get someone to bankroll [a] project. We still have a long way to go in that regard; that ship is going to take so much longer to course-correct.”
Working on ‘Babylon’: “I’ve never worked that hard in my life. [I was] shattered by the end of that job”
On playing Barbie: “That’s why I, Tonya intrigued us so much — because people had such an immediate and strong reaction to the name ‘Tonya Harding.’ It’s kind of amazing to begin at a place like that.”
All of the stuff about LuckyChap is great, and I so admire her as a producer and promoter of female-led films, female directors and more. Now, I’m also really worried about Babylon. Margot was just an actress-for-hire on that film, she’s not a producer. She’s the lead of the ensemble and the studio will put a lot of money into her Oscar campaign. I have big concerns that A) the film is a three-hour mess and B) Brad Pitt’s presence will ruin it. We’ll see.
Cover & IG courtesy of WSJ. Magazine.
I’m so over people bragging about nearly killing themselves to do their jobs.
I totally agree with you, especially when it comes to “normal” people who are just working for the man. HOWEVER! I think actors just live completely different lives than normal people!! They work on something many would consider extremely fun and creatively stimulating for a few months at a time, very intensely, and then they take a month or two off. Even the “business” side of Hollywood only sounds taxing to me, an introvert, because it probably involves talking to people a ton and pitching yourself or your project. I guess when actors say they worked really hard on something, it just means something totally different than what it would mean for me in my life.
This was my exact reaction to that quote. I really admire what Margot has done with her career which, as the story notes, could’ve fizzled out after a quick It Girl stint. She’s talented and clearly business savvy.
But people overworking themselves simply doesn’t impress me, lol. In normal life, I know people who brag about working extra all the time, or never needing a sick day, or not using all their PTO. That’s not good work ethic to me, it’s just foolish.
I’m glad for her and… reading this made me sad for myself – this combination of talent, resilience and luck is so rare. I tried it in Hollywood and thought I had it, that I was SPECIAL, but… things just weren’t happening, so I gave up on that. I don’t regret it because years of mediocre existence in that world just isn’t worth it. I wish I could say I was as smart and all, but from my experience, success has so much to do with luck that you just have to accept it and admit that it will either happen to you or it won’t.
Her face could stop traffic she is so pretty.
This hustle culture drives me nuts. Whatever happened to just working a good job that pays your bills and doesn’t kill you (if you’re lucky). I don’t have a work phone. I leave the office and don’t think about until I go back the next morning. I know this won’t make me rich but I’ve realized I don’t need tons of money. I don’t know why I ever thought I did. I don’t turn my hobbies into side projects, I don’t do social media or sell stuff on Etsy. I don’t need to learn a new language every year, I don’t have a bucket list or a list of places I need to go. I like the Mediterranean. It’s gorgeous and I don’t need to travel long distance and it just makes me happy. So I go back. I travelled California this year and while I absolutely LOVED the nature, LA is not a place I ever needed to see. I don’t necessarily regret going (although I regret the money I left there) but I’m going to be more choosey about what I “need” to see.
I honestly like my perfectly slightly-above-average life. I’m not special or super successful but I’m also not killing myself with work, chasing MORE every day.
Emmi, I just love this comment! I completely agree and live my life similarly. I work hard from 9 to 5, but when I clock out, I’m done thinking about work for the day. I’m proud of what I do, but work has always just been work to me, and not an important part of my personality. I’m single and am fortunate to own a home and be a mom to two awesome little cats. I love watching movies and reading, so that’s how I spend most nights. I do have a Bookstagram as a hobby, but simply for fun and not to make money.
Pre-pandemic I was more adventurous and traveled quite a lot, but I have a lot of health concerns, so I don’t really travel or go to large events these days. While those things are definitely fun and nice to do (and I’m lucky to be able to afford them), I’ve realized they really aren’t a huge priority for me and I don’t need to go on adventures to be happy. Hopefully one day I’ll feel comfortable doing those things again, but for the time being, I’m perfectly happy with my everyday life.
Thank you both for your comments. This is exactly what I cannot understand – not everyone want to work 24h a day, own a business and dedicate his life to work. You can also work 8h a day and be a valuable employee and have a life! I have also realized that I’ve achieved a nice and comfortable life and at this point don’t want to work more as I really don’t need more money. It is a great realization – not that I’m “finally rich” but that I don’t really need more material things in life and I don’t need to hustle more. I enjoy simple life pleasures like books and walks, and don’t need Hawaiian vacations. And also – I hate this “I’m so hardworking” humble bragging..
I love her but why must she do that to herself???
_Love_ Robbie–she’s fun to watch on-screen and she’s made a lot of smart moves. (As well, she seems a cool unpretentious person.) As far as Babylon goes, well…I’m getting seriously divisive vibes on it (granted, I only read the first draft script, so YMMV. :)) As the sex-and-drug flipside of Singin In The Rain’s optimism, it’s fascinating, but it’s too much of a muchness, like Wolf Of Wall Street. And some of the cast are too contemporary for their roles. (Brad Pitt doesn’t exactly resemble John Gilbert or any of the silent movie stars his character is based on, to say the least.) I’m betting critics will split on it and audiences will hate/won’t get it.