Margot Robbie Opens Up About the Film That Made Her Believe in Herself as an Actor

Margot Robbie has had many famous roles, but one movie changed the way she saw herself as an actor.

After gaining huge attention as Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad in 2016, she returned to the role in Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad. While these films made her a household name, it was her 2017 biopic I, Tonya that gave her a new level of confidence in her craft.

In I, Tonya, Robbie played figure skater Tonya Harding, a controversial athlete known for her role in the 1994 attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, the film also stars Allison Janney as Harding’s mother and Sebastian Stan as her ex-husband. Robbie not only acted in the film but also served as a producer. The movie mixes dark comedy with real-life interviews and breaks the fourth wall to tell Harding’s story from multiple perspectives.

Robbie worked intensely to prepare for the role, especially learning to ice skate. Speaking to Refinery29, she said, “I did like four or five months of training, five days a week, four hours a day. It was a lot. […] I was face-planting until I could really wrap my head around the topic. I quickly discovered that it was a brutal sport and incredibly difficult. I trained for ages, and after a while, I started making progress, and after a while, it became really fun. I really love it.”

She also shared with Deadline how she connected with Harding as a character. “With Tonya, I focused on the fact she was an athlete and the ultimate underdog. I found that very easy to get behind. I love watching gangster films, which are essentially variations on the underdog rising to the top. There’s something there that you can really get behind.” Robbie said her dedication to understanding Harding’s life helped her bring depth to the role and portray a woman who had been misunderstood and judged for decades.

The film was a success, earning $53 million on an $11 million budget, and received high praise from critics. Robbie earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, while Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress. The film also received nominations at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and other major award shows.

Looking back, Robbie says I, Tonya helped her realize her own abilities. Speaking at a BAFTAs event in 2022, she revealed that the role made her see herself as “a good actor.” This confidence encouraged her to reach out to filmmakers she admired, including Quentin Tarantino, which led to her role as Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

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