Margot Robbie

The Slap That Launched a Career

Margot Robbie grew up on a farm in Dalby, in the heart of rural Australia, far from any red carpet. Before turning twenty, she was already serving sandwiches at a Subway while studying acting in Melbourne. She landed a role on Neighbours in 2008, and what was supposed to be a few-day guest appearance stretched into three years.

Nobody handed her a ticket to Los Angeles.

In 2013, she auditioned for The Wolf of Wall Street determined not to be just another pretty face. During a argument scene, she delivered a real slap to Leonardo DiCaprio that wasn't in the script. Martin Scorsese saw in that gesture the raw anger the character of Naomi Lapaglia needed. That agreed-upon assault won her the contract that changed her bank account forever.

But Robbie knew the industry quickly forgets actresses who only trade on their looks. In 2014, she founded her own production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, together with Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara. The goal was clear. They wanted to tell women-led stories without waiting for the major studios to give the green light.

The Wolf of Wall Street

In 2017, she produced and starred in I, Tonya. She laced up skates to play Tonya Harding, and the result was three Oscar nominations for the film. Critics stopped talking about her blonde hair and focused instead on her ability to transform her face through pain and frustration.

And the gamble paid off.

Because Robbie sees filmmaking as a business of total control (financial and artistic). In 2020, she released Birds of Prey, reprising her role as Harley Quinn, but this time as an executive producer to ensure the vision was distinctly female. Not all of her bets paid off at the box office. The release of Babylon in 2022 was a hard financial blow, with earnings that barely covered distribution costs.

After the setback of 2022, came the project that redefined her position in the industry. In 2023, she produced and starred in Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig. The film grossed over 1,400 million dollars at the global box office. Robbie didn't just earn an actress's salary. As a producer, she also pocketed a significant share of the film's net profits.

The real power lies in the boardrooms.

In 2024, her company diversified its projects and produced the thriller Saltburn, which sparked heated debate on digital platforms over its visual rawness. During that same period, it closed the acquisition of rights to adapt the video game The Sims for the big screen. In 2025, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is scheduled for release, co-starring Colin Farrell and directed by Kogonada.

The production contract for the film about the social simulation video game was signed for more than 10 million dollars in initial rights alone.