One of Margot Robbie’s impressive traits, other than her perfect feet that have made appearances throughout her filmography, is her ability to portray the American accent. It helps that the Aussie actress moved to the U.S. in the 2010s before starring in the drama series Pan Am and filming her breakthrough role with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. On the other hand, spending so much time in the U.S. could mean forgetting certain Australian slang words. The Barbie lead had that particularly awkward experience in a new interview when she forgot what the meaning of the word “Barbie” is in Australia.
Margot Robbie was born in Dalby, Queensland, Australia who made her start in acting in the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2008-2011 before transitioning to the US not too long after. Getting to portray American characters for over a decade could lead to some brain hiccups once in a while about your own hometown. Robbie had a similar awkward experience in an interview on the Australian program The Project when she forgot for a second what the term “Barbie” means in the land down under. Take a look at the hilarious Twitter video of the interview down below.
Aussie Margot Robbie tells Greta Gerwig the other meaning of ‘Barbie’ in Australia, but has Margot forgotten what a barbie is? pic.twitter.com/ZUeQsdlwtVJune 29, 2023
Aww, I really do feel for her. It’s like if I went on tour in another country and my Florida native self forgot what a “Pub Sub” was (by the way, it’s a Publix grocery sub). To be fair, Margot Robbie has truly allowed herself to absorb her role as the Mattel Inc. doll ever since she got cast in Greta Gerwig’s movie. This wouldn’t be the first time that the Australian native kicked herself when she forgot some Aussie slang words. In a funny video from Vanity Fair back in 2016, Robbie tried to translate 50 Australian slang words in four minutes and was confused by the word “doovalacky” (an unknown item) and the term “to come a gutser” (to have an accident). On the other hand, she nailed the words “fair dinkum,” “sheila,” “bludger,” and “dag.” While I’m familiar with the term “sheila,” I’d never be able to guess the other words.
Another set of words that the people of Australia have a double meaning about is the 32-year-old actress’s own name. Robbie’s home country has a different way of pronouncing her name in that the “r” is silent. So, it sounds more like “Ma-go.” Americans recognize the “r” in her name and can’t help but include it in the pronunciation. She’s said that little things like the way people back at her home pronounce her name have made her feel very special to be there when visiting. In that particular Daily Mail interview, The Legend of Tarzan actress expressed her love for Australia and enjoys talking about the country for those who’ve never been there. This shows that despite how many American characters this actress has played, she truly is an Aussie woman at heart.
As Margot Robbie has said in her interview with The Project, jet lag could absolutely be the cause of why she had a slight memory lapse of Australia’s double meaning of “Barbie.” As the Barbie movie hits theaters in two weeks, this busy actress has been on her press tour promoting the movie with Barbiecore and all. Robbie’s fabulous pink looks have not been able to escape her when she wore on one day of the tour a pink polka-dotted halter dress while the rest of the cast decided to wear more neutral colors. The fashion decisions of the entire cast that day definitely helped this gorgeous actress stand out and remind us who'll be the Barbie headlining the movie.
Now you know that “Barbie” in Australia can also mean barbecue. With Margot Robbie filling in the shoes of her Barbie character for months, it makes sense why the doll she portrayed was the only “Barbie” that stuck in her head. Her portrayal of the Mattel Inc. doll will surely stay in our heads as well as we see the 2023 movie release hit theaters on July 21st.
