Margot Robbie says she felt like her performance in the 2017 biopic I, Tonya, was the “first time I thought I was a good actor”.
The Hollywood actress said it had been the moment in her career where she felt comfortable enough “to reach out to my idols”, and had soon after approached director Quentin Tarantino.
Robbie made the remarks while speaking at a special Bafta event in London on Tuesday, during which she looked back on her career.
During the event, Bafta: Life In Pictures, she discussed parts of her varied and award-winning filmography with Briony Hanson, Director of Film at the British Council.
The pair discussed 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, more recently Babylon (2022).
While discussing the darkly comic mockumentary film I, Tonya, in which she played US figure skater Tonya Harding, Robbie said: “I, Tonya was the first time I watched a movie and thought I’m a good actor.
“I thought, ‘Okay, I’m ready to reach out to my idols.’ And that’s when I wrote the letter to Quentin (Tarantino).”
She added that the criticism of Once Upon A Time…, in response to her short time on-screen 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 get across,” she said.
She also discussed working with Scorsese on The Wolf Of Wall Street, which she starred in opposite Leonardo DiCaprio when she was just 22 years old.
Robbie described production of the Oscar-winning film as becoming “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’re going to get.”
She is next due to star in Damien Chazelle’s long-awaited Hollywood epic Babylon later this year and in the Barbie film in 2023, alongside Ryan Gosling.
The Bafta: A Life in Pictures series has previously hosted other high profile Hollywood figures including British stars Daniel Craig, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley Sam Mendes, Dame Helen Mirren, and Dame Emma Thompson.
