From Harley to Barbie...It's Margot Robbie's most iconic roles

She went from an Australian soap actress to a Hollywood superstar. After landing her big break playing the wife of a crooked stockbroker in 2013’s ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’, Margot's stock has risen as she has appeared in a number of blockbuster hits. From Joker’s Harley to Tarzan’s Jane, it’s the sensational rise of Margot Robbie and 10 of her famous roles….

The Australian soap star was catapulted to Hollywood fame when she landed the breakout role of Naomi Lapaglia, the mistress and second wife of stock-broker Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in Martin Scorsese’s black comedy crime film ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ in 2013. Not only did it earn her overnight Hollywood success, it cemented her as a sex symbol. Margot secured her part thanks to her “stunning improvisation” which gave for a memorable audition. Scorsese recalled: “She clinched her part in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ during our first meeting. “[And she did it] by hauling off and giving Leonardo DiCaprio a thunderclap of a slap on the face – an improvisation that stunned us all.”

Margot also had a role in Tina Fey’s biographical war comedy- drama ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’. The 2016 film which is based on the memoir ‘The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan’ by Kim Barker, follows the story of journalist Kim (played by Fey), who takes a job as a war correspondent In Afghanistan. During her travels she befriends BBC correspondent Tanya Vanderpoel who is brought to life on screen by Margot.

In 2016, she took on the role of Tarzan’s love interest Jane Porter in ‘The Legend of Tarzan’. The story follows Tarzan (played by Alexander Skarsgard) who, after moving to London, returns to his African roots in the jungle where he once lived to investigate claims of slavery. Margot revealed that she signed up for the role after realising they had moved Jane away from the damsel in distress stereotype. She said: "It was very evident that they were focusing on making her a strong female character,"

Margot landed her most iconic role to date when she was cast as Joker’s lover Harley Quinn in 2016’s superhero film that is based on the DC Comics supervillain team. She reprised the role in the 2021 standalone sequel ‘The Suicide Squad’. She said: “I love playing Harley. I don't know when I'll ever get sick of playing Harley, she's such a catalyst of chaos."

Margot's performance as disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding in ‘I, Tonya’ led to three Oscar nominations. The biographical film depicts the real story of the notorious Olympian who fell from grace after she attacked her rival Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. Margot revealed she spent four hours a day and five days per week learning to perfect her skating skills. She explained: "I was honestly terrified that I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. "We were just a few weeks from shooting, and I was still struggling to find my outside edges. I just thought I was never going to get them, and then, one day, it just clicked.”

Margot was unrecognisable when she took on the role of Queen Elizabeth I in historical drama ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ opposite Saorise Ronan. According to make-up artist Jenny Shircore, Margot went all the way to transform herself from 21st century sex symbol to 16th century monarch. Margot spent three hours in the chair whilst Jenny painted on boils and blisters and applied a crooked prosthetic nose. She said: "Margot wanted it to be correct, she wanted it right. "She feels the part of Elizabeth and she went with me all the way to get the look right."

The blonde ‘Bombshell’ gave an emotional performance as Kayla Pospisol, in the 2019 drama which depicts the story of real women at Fox News who were sexually harassed and exploited by CEO Roger Ailes. Taking on the role made Margot rethink her own experiences. She said: "I've never experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Not in Hollywood and not other places I've worked. "As a woman in the world, have I ever received unwanted sexual advances? Yeah, tons. All the time. I just had never considered it as sexual harassment really, until I read this script."

Margot played the tragic Hollywood star Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 comedy drama that depicts the tale of a fading actor trying to navigate through a changing film industry. The film takes place in 1969 and features multiple storylines including the Sharon Tate murder - when the actress was killed by members of the Charles Manson cult. Margot was reunited with her Wolf of Wall Street co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, who played aspiring actor Rick Dalton in the film.

Margot reprised the iconic role of Harley Quinn in 2020’s ‘Birds of Prey’. The female-led movie that follows the story of Harley after she breaks up with Joker and teams up with Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya. After playing Harley Quinn in three movies, Margot felt it was time to give the character a rest. She said: “It was kind of back-to-back filming Birds… and filming this, so I was kind of like, oof, I need a break from Harley because she’s exhausting. “I don’t know when we’re next going to see her. I’m just as intrigued as everyone else is.”

Currently in production and due to be released in 2023, Margot Robbie will play the eponymous fashion doll Barbie in the live-action drama. Ryan Gosling will feature as Barbie's love interest Ken while America Ferrera, Simu Liu and Will Ferrell are also set to feature in the movie.