Margot Robbie is an Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated actor known for playing iconic characters like Harley Quinn and Barbie. Unfortunately, like many women in Hollywood, she’s felt the pressure to conform to certain body standards.
But Robbie has pushed back for certain projects. And she revealed that she once refused to lose weight for a role by suggesting it was a “good thing” for her character to have “weight on her.”
Robbie is an Australian actor who started her career in 2008 with the Aussie TV series, Neighbours. She went on to appear in the 2011 ABC drama, Pan Am, and then landed her breakout role in 2013 with The Wolf of Wall Street.
Since then, Robbie has starred in several blockbuster projects, including Goodbye Christopher Robin, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Mary Queen of Scots, and I, Tonya. She’s also taken on many action roles, most notably as the DC anti-hero Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad. The actor has also appeared in action films like The Legend of Tarzan and Terminal.
Robbie portrayed the popular fictional character Jane Clayton in 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan opposite Alexander Skarsgård’s titular hero. While filming, she was approached about losing weight for the role.
But the actor didn’t want to go on a diet or train. So she told filmmakers that it would make more sense for her character to carry some extra weight.
“It’s the 19th century [in the movie] — if she’s got a bit of weight on her, it’s probably a good thing,” Robbie told Australia’s TV Week, as reported by Yahoo! Movies. “I’m not going to look thin just for the sake of it.”
Robbie also confessed that she wasn’t interested in going on a diet because she wanted to fully enjoy London’s bar culture. “It was my first time living in London properly and I wanted to try every pub,” she added.
Robbie got away with refusing to diet for The Legend of Tarzan. But Skarsgård wasn’t as lucky.
According to Robbie, Skarsgård was on a strict diet and training regimen throughout filming. And she recalled one moment when she witnessed him growing overjoyed at the sight of fruit.
“I remember the day that he was allowed an apple, and he kissed the apple,” Robbie told Entertainment Weekly. “It hit me how deprived you are if you’re that excited to see a piece of fruit.”
Luckily, once filming commenced, Skarsgård was able to eat normally again. He recalled being treated to an amazingly rich meal by his famous actor father, Stellan Skarsgård.
“I spent four days just in bed, being fed by Dad,” Skarsgård said. “He cooked these pastas with rich sauces and bone marrow and fried mozzarella and tons of beer and wine. It was the most incredible weekend of my life.”