Since her breakthrough role in Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie has been one of the biggest stars working today. She received a lead actress Oscar nomination for playing Tonya Harding in I, Tonya, and has even dipped her toe into the DCEU as the fan favorite Harley Quinn. She has also worked with a number of celebrated directors like Quentin Tarantino, Adam McKay, and Greta Gerwig. Robbie can now add Damien Chazelle to that list with her new film Babylon, a film in which she put her all into.
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, the Amsterdam star reflected on her career, the work she’s doing with her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, and her role in Babylon where she once again stars alongside Brad Pitt. Apparently Margot Robbie's as an early Hollywood starlet in this film was incredibly difficult, practically breaking the actress. She said of her role:
I’ve never worked that hard in my life. [I was] shattered by the end of that job.
For Robbie, this is saying a lot. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress has a history of transforming for her roles, and truly putting in the work in order to capture the character. In The Suicide Squad, she did many of her Harley Quinn stunts herself, and as described the physical toll that role has taken on her. In addition, Robbie was almost unrecognizable in I, Tonya, and even took up figure skating in order to play the role. She never shies away from playing a character that expects a lot from an actress, so for Robbie to cite her new film as so demanding is definitely significant.
Babylon assembles an all-star ensemble cast in a film about excess and lavishness of 1920s Hollywood, and the transition from silent films to talkies. The outrageous trailer shows the ostentatious lifestyles of the central characters, with an explosive physical performance from Robbie. The film had a long production process, and is said to have a whopping 3 hour and 8 minute runtime.
Babylon hasn’t been the only film Robbie has given her all to as of recent. Just this year she starred alongside Christian Bale and John David Washington in David O’Russell’s Amsterdam. She is also currently filming and producing Greta Gerwig’s Barbie where she is playing the titular character. First look pictures of her and Ryan Gosling in this film already look like a lot of fun, and is a much-anticipated movie coming to theaters in the summer of 2023.
You can catch Margot Robbie’s “shattering” performance in Babylon, when it hits theaters on December 23rd. It is already looking like a potential Oscars contender, so it will likely be widely talked about come award’s season. For more information on other films set to hit theaters later this year, make sure to check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie release schedule.
