Aussie actress Margot Robbie stars alongside Hollywood greats Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron in 2020’s most anticipated film, Bombshell.
Sitting down ahead of the Aussie premiere, Margot, 29, reveals what it’s like working on such a poignant story and why it needs to be told.
Margot is unapologetic about her ambitions.
(Image: Getty)What can you tell us about the three main characters of the Fox News-inspired drama?
Nicole plays Gretchen Carlson, Charlize plays Megyn Kelly and I play Kayla, a fictional character. They are three very different women. Gretchen is our moral centre. It’s her choice that propels the story. Megyn is our narrative centre, she’s our guide throughout the story and I think Kayla is meant to be the emotional centre, the person in which you live through the harassment and its effects.
How does it feel to play a fictional character that’s an amalgamation of the stories from real women?
I’ve played real-life people before, and I’ve played fictional characters before. I always feel a sense of responsibility to the character, whether they’re real-life people or not. There was a unique sense of responsibility around playing Kayla that I hadn’t experienced before – a responsibility to tell the story of multiple women who can’t tell their story, or have chosen not to for their own reasons.
Did you talk to the real women involved in this story as part of your preparation for the role?
I didn’t personally, no. The filmmaking team spent time with those women and I was recounted all of that. Of course, there’s a lot of research and stuff available, too, and I spoke to a lot of women I know who experienced something similar but not at Fox News. Actually, every single woman I know has a story about sexual harassment to some degree. Even doing a film like this, people suddenly feel compelled to talk to you about it, which has been really amazing.
WATCH: Margot Robbie talks about working with her husband Tom Ackerley. Story continues below…
Margot’s latest role is in the highly anticipated film, Bombshell.
(Image: Getty)How does it feel to be able to give a voice to these women?
I think what’s unique about Kayla’s situation in comparison to Megyn and Gretchen, is that she didn’t feel she could come forward. She didn’t have the job security or the financial security. She’s also extremely worried about what her family would think because she grew up in a very conservative family who adored Fox News. It was part of her childhood. So speaking out was incredibly difficult for her. There are still so many people who cannot, or feel like they cannot, speak out for a whole multitude of reasons.
What was it like working with Nicole and Charlize?
Like a dream! To be able to work with such a huge ensemble of actors that I really admire and have watched for years was incredible! Between Charlize, Nicole, Kate [McKinnon], John [Lithgow] and countless others, every day at work was something truly inspiring. I was grateful I got to be a part of it.
It’s an elevator standoff for the three main characters.
(Image: Supplied)What’s your personal experience of being an ambitious woman in Hollywood?
I feel like that’s one of those things where it’s such a double standard. Men can be ambitious and be praised for it while women can be ambitious and considered a b*tch. I think the perception is changing now but it still has a long way to go. Nicole, Charlize and I are all ambitious women. We produce, we all act, we’ve all gone about and done things in our lives. We shouldn’t be sorry for that, and no one else should be sorry for wanting something.
Bombshell is in cinemas now
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