The delightful and brilliantMargot Robbiehas starred in and produced multiple blockbuster hits throughout her colorful and so far relatively short cinematic career, captivating and charming audiences in the process. Since her small screen debut in 2008 on the Australian soap operaNeighbors,the actor has steadily increased her screen presence in both TV shows and films before nabbing her international breakthrough role in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 Oscar-nominated picture,The Wolf of Wall Street.The dark comedy went on to become a stepping stone in the star’s ever-growing popularity and talent, as she went on to achieve widespread recognition with appearances in films likeZ for Zachariah, Mary Queen of Scots,andBombshell.
Her performance as the off-kilter yet endearing Harley Quinn inDavid Ayer’s 2016 superhero flickSuicide Squadfurther propelled Robbie as an acting force to be reckoned with, cementing her status as a movie star. She became so popular and admired that all Adam McKay had to do was feature her in one great scene ofThe Big Short, explaining mortgages and sub-prime loans (in a bathtub), for the internet to blow up.
The dynamic actress garnered further acclaim as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in the biopicI, Tonya,and appeared in director Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 filmOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood,portraying the late actress and model Sharon Tate. More recently, she’s dazzled in 2022’sBabylonand won over audiences as the titular character in the box office smash hitBarbie,alongside Ryan Gosling as Ken.
She produced that massiveBarbiefilm as well (which became the highest-grossing movie of 2023, making $1.5 billion), a jewel in Robbie’s crown as one of the most interesting producers today (she’s also producedSaltburn, Promising Young Woman, andBirds of Prey, along with the TV seriesMaid, Dollface, andMike). With such a long run of great performances and productions under her belt, these are Margot Robbie’s best movies and performances so far. Take note — one of the most undervalued components of Robbie’s career is her ability to play a villain (or at least someone with immensely compromised ethics) without an audience completely realizing it (Suicide Squad, I, Tonya, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Terminal, Birds of Prey, Focus).
16Goodbye Christopher Robin
Goodbye Christopher Robin
The biographical filmGoodbye Christopher Robinrevolves around the life and career of A.A. Milne, the creator ofWinnie-the-Pooh.It stars Domnall Gleeson as Milne, while Robbie takes on the role of the writer’s wife, Daphne. Directed by Simon Curtis from a script by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the story is set across both World War I and World War II, as well as the time in between, and primarily focuses on the relationship between Milne and his son, Christopher Robin.
Margot Robbie Continues to Deconstruct Villains
Robbie essentially plays the villain here, but she does so with the same analytical verve she displays when she always portrays a villain, transforming what could be a clichéd performance into something complicated and emotionally rich. As Christopher’s mother, she is spiky, strict, unsympathetic, and ultimately doesn’t buy into her husband’s dream. It is rare to see Robbie play someone so unlikable, but as with her other roles, she throws herself into it, and the film is better for it.
Rent on Prime Video
15About Time
About Time
Richard Curtis' sci-fi rom-comAbout Timewas one of Robbie’s first film roles. The film was released in cinemas in 2013, meaning Robbie was only 23 at the time. Starring Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, it tells the story of Tim, a twenty-something old man who discovers that all the men in his family, including himself, are able to travel in time and change what happened in their own past. He, therefore, utilizes these abilities to improve his love life, which leads to him meeting McAdams’s Mary.
A Good Film with a Small Margot Robbie
Robbie plays the role of Charlotte, a friend of Tim’s sister, who he develops a crush on. Though it is only a small part, it’s a fun one, and there’s certainly evidence here of the leading lady she would become.
Rent on Apple TV
14Terminal (2018)
Vaughn Stein’s convoluted filmTerminalis a neo-noir that tells the story of a group of characters made up of assassins, a teacher, and a janitor at a train terminal. There is a murderous plan or two afoot, but who really has the upper hand? The film stars Robbie in the company of Simon Pegg, Max Irons, and Mike Myers, but struggled to find an audience at the box-office.
Another Complicated Twist on Villains
Robbie’s year after her life-changing role inI, Tonya, was prolific. From cameos to voice-acting, she did everything. Her role inTerminalwas one of two important performances. Although the film wasn’t well received by everyone, Robbie is the best thing about it. Her exploration of villainous femme fatales is taken one step further inTerminal, where she delivers a grounded twist on what we had already seen in 2016’sSuicide Squad.
Stream on Tubi
13Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
For the 2016 DC Comics superhero extravaganzaSuicide Squad,Margot Robbie joins a star-studded ensemble cast including Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Viola Davis to bring the beloved comic characters to life on the big screen. Robbie famously portrayed thelively and fascinating supervillainHarley Quinn and spent six months preparing for the monumental role by learning boxing, gymnastics, aerial silk training and how to hold her breath underwater for five minutes.
The actress described the electrifying Quinnas one of the Squad’s most manipulative members and her relationship with the Joker as being “completely dysfunctional,” and that Quinn is “mad about him – like, literally, mad. She’s crazy. But she loves him. And it’s a really unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship. But an addictive one.” Robbie’s performance in the film was heralded as its greatest asset in an otherwise messy disaster of a film.
Watch on Prime Video
Thealways entertaining Will Smithand Margot Robbie teamed up to headline the 2015 crime dramedyFocus,which follows career con artist Nicky Spurgeon as he takes ambitious femme fatale Jess Barrett under his wing and teaches her the craft. Famed sleight-of-hand artist Apollo Robbins served as a consultant for the picture, with Robbie learning how to pickpocket from the self-described gentleman thief.
Despite mixed reviews for the dramedy itself, Smith and Robbie’s on-screen chemistrygarnered appreciationfrom critics, and the duo would once again join forces for 2016’sSuicide Squad.The New York Times praised the actors,writing: “Mostly, it is fun to watch Will Smith and Margot Robbie, and to marvel at whatever divine or evolutionary miracle concentrated so much charisma in the two of them.” Robbie was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the British Academy Film Awards for her captivating portrayal of the inexperienced but aspiring grifter.
Margot Robbie’s Underrated and Sexy Femme Fatale
Focusfollowed Robbie’s performance in Scorsese’sThe Wolf of Wall Street. The result is a film that may feel secondary when compared to others on the list, but it has one great element in it: a star on the rise. Robbie’s role overshadows everything else in the film. It’s often referred to as afemme fatale film, but her performance is just too wholehearted to categorize.Focusis romantic, ambitious, and very underrated, and while Smith’s participation helps, this is Robbie’s show from start to finish.
Watch on Max
11Bombshell
Jay Roach’s 2019 dramaBombshellis based upon the accounts of the women at Fox News who set out to expose CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment and features a gifted cast including Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie. For the engrossing picture, Theron and Kidman portrayed real-life journalists Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, respectively, while Robbie starred as the composite character Kayla Pospisil. To prepare for the film, Robbie watched the Fox News shows she imagined Kayla would enjoy and created a fake Twitter account, so she could observe the performative opinionated tweeting of“young millennial conservative girls.”
Bombshelldebuted to mostly positive reviews, with specific praise for Theron and Robbie’s compelling performances as the ambitious and determined women; the pair both earned Academy Award nominations for their roles.The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed,“The actors throw themselves into their roles with terrific zeal, enlivened by the often blunt dialogue and issues at stake.”
A Searing Dramatic Performance
Robbie’s Kayla embodies the all-too-familiar figure of a woman entering into an industry run by corrupt men. Kayla’s slow realization of what she’s “supposed” to do to find success is only possible due to Robbie’s ability to subtly materialize courage in the middle of chaos. This is one of her best dramatic performances, but unfortunately, the political divisiveness of the subject has probably kept a lot of viewers away fromBombshell.
Rent on Apple TV
Related:Margot Robbie’s 10 Highest-Grossing Movies of All-Time
10Z for Zachariah
Z For Zachariah
Based on the Robert C. O’Brien novel of the same name, 2015’s sci-fi dramaZ for Zachariahcenters on an emotionally chargedlove triangle between two men and a womanwho may be the last people on Earth following a disaster that wiped out most civilization. Appearing alongside Chris Pine and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie stars as nuclear apocalypse survivor Ann Burden, who lives a rural life on her family’s valley farmstead but finds her secluded existence disturbed by the separate arrival of two mysterious men.
Robbie adopted an Appalachian accent for the film and joined the project just five days before production began after Amanda Seyfried dropped out of the role. The actress grew up on her grandparent’s farm in rural Queensland and, despite such little time to prepare, felt right in her element.
A Profoundly Complex Woman of Faith in a Love Triangle
Z for Zachariahputs Robbie at the center of a triangle. Ann’s religious upbringing stays pristine in the midst of chaos, and everything that happens is given a religious meaning by her conservative and optimistic views. Robbie’s performance doesn’t call for the typical religiously hysterical woman, but something much more profound, realistic, and relevant. This is probably Robbie’s most under-seen performance, but it’s highly rated by critics.
9Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots
For Josie Rourke’s 2018 historical dramaMary Queen of Scots,Margot Robbie portrayed Queen Elizabeth I opposite Saoirse Ronan’s depiction of the titular ruler of Scotland. The film depicts Mary Stuart’s attempt to overthrow her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, culminating in Mary being condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution. Robbie was intimidated by the hefty role and almost didn’t appear in the drama,having told Entertainment Weekly:“That history of portrayals was definitely something that ran through my mind many times. I’m not going to lie, I was terrified, and I initially passed on the role.”
Margot Robbie Gets Regal
Though the film was met with mixed responses by critics who criticizedthe historical inaccuracies, both Robbie and Ronan’s performances were met with widespread praise. Robbie’s natural beauty and ability to embody regal confidence makes her a natural fit here in a film that’s very insightful about the emotions behind competition and envy.
8The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street
Theesteemed Martin Scorsesedirected the 2013 Oscar-nominated crime comedyThe Wolf of Wall Street,featuring a ridiculously talented cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Margot Robbie. The movie is based on entrepreneur and convicted felon Jordan Beflort’s memoir, and recounts his career as a stockbroker in New York City and how his firm, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street, ultimately leading to his downfall.
At a very young age, Belfort became fascinated with stocks and ultimately figured out a way to commit fraud in Wall Street, corrupting a system that made him a billionaire. Robbie’s breakthrough role as Naomi Lapaglia, the wife of Belfort, earned rave reviews from critics and audiences alike; the actress revealed that during the audition process, she improvised a slap on DiCaprio during a fight scene that effectively led to her winning the part.The Wolf of Wall Streetwas a knockout at the box office, and Robbie’s performance was singled out by many critics.
A Star Is Born
This was Robbie’s breakout role in Hollywood, and naturally, it’s filledwith memorable moments. Robbie’s Naomi is a chaotic woman who knows very early on that her husband is no saint. This provides Robbie with an opportunity to make the character compelling and morally corrupt. How Robbie wasn’t nominated at the Academy Awards that year is beyond understanding.
Watch on Paramount+
Related:Why Margot Robbie Should Work With Marin Scorsese Again
7Asteroid City
Asteroid City
Margot Robbie has a small but pivotal role in Wes Anderson’sAsteroid City. In the film, she plays the actress that was cast as Steenback’s (Jason Schwartzman) deceased wife in a stage show that was cut. In a clever joke, the only time the audience originally sees her is in a photo, but then towards the end of the film, she has a very sweet, touching scene with Steenback talking about how her role was cut and has now moved onto another play. They both recite the dialogue they would have shared on screen together in the context of the film.
A Tiny Little Gem of Rare Brilliance
It is funny and a great meta use of Margot Robbie. Casting a major star like her in a role that is jokingly cut from the production, but is still used for a moment of great emotional catharsis, is a stroke of brilliance. Margot Robbie’s role proves there are no small parts.
