All 25 Margot Robbie FIlm Performanced, Ranked
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I’m sure you know Margot Robbie.
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(Hi, Margot!)
But if not, let me introduce you. She’s an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated actress.
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She played Tanya Harding, Sharon Tate, and Queen Elizabeth I. She's Australian but does a great Brooklyn accent. She stole Leonardo DiCaprio's heart in one movie. Same goes for Chris Pine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Sebastian Stan, and Alexander Skarsgard. She originated the iconic Harley Quinn Halloween costume, and she gives her friends tattoos. She is, in short, a LIVING LEGEND.
In honor of her recent Golden Globe nomination, the release of her new hit, Babylon, and her general wonderfulness, here is a ranking of all her film performances.
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And a few quick ground rules: Margot’s cameos and voiceover roles in feature films are included, but her appearances in documentaries, shorts, and TV are not. Also, this ranking is based solely on Margot’s performance and NOT the movie as a whole, so whatever Brad Pitt is doing in Babylon or the giant starfish is doing in The Suicide Squad are not being factored in.
So lets get to it.
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(Drinking a cup of tea/esperesso while reading this is highly encouraged.)
25.Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) — Audrey
Let’s begin with Margot Robbie’s extremely brief cameo as Simon Pegg’s girlfriend in this boarding school horror comedy. She Skypes Simon quickly from her medical tent in Africa and is not to be seen again. Mostly she’s just here to prove that you can, in fact, look cute in scrubs.
24.Vigilante (2008) — Cassandra Williams
It’s a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Girl is murdered by thugs. Boy learns to fight so he can enact revenge by systematically killing thugs. Margot plays the aforementioned girl in this low-budget Australian retaliation thriller. A fledgling actress, Margot demands her boyfriend give her gifts and then dies fifteen minutes into the movie. She will move on to bigger and better things.
23.Suite Francaise (2015) — Celine
Strike one: that wig. Strike two: Margot’s minimal screen time. Strike three: her character shags a Nazi in the woods. While this film wasn’t released until 2015 (on Lifetime rather than in theaters), it was filmed back in the summer of 2013 before Robbie’s breakout performance in The Wolf of Wall Street (which explains her tiny part). Here, she plays a villager in German-occupied France during World War II, and she isn’t given much to do aside from struggle under that oppressive hairpiece.
22.The Legend of Tarzan (2016) — Jane Porter
As a good millennial, the Disney Tarzan (with 'N Sync on the soundtrack) is the only Tarzan for me. This sequel-of-sorts to the classic Tarzan story follows the ape-man and Jane back to Africa after spending some time in England. As Jane, Robbie does not swing/surf on vines. She does not become close friends with gorillas and elephants. Instead, she gets held hostage by Christoph Waltz and looks distressed. A bit underwhelming (and no 'N Sync).
21.The Big Short (2015) — Herself
Here’s proof that Margot Robbie is a living legend. She is in 67 seconds of this Best Picture nominee about the 2008 recession, sitting in a bubble bath, playing herself, and she is still the most memorable part of the film. Do I understand the financial crisis? Not really. But, I will always remember Margot’s “When you hear subprime, think shit.” Someone get this woman an econ podcast!
20.Z for Zachariah (2015) — Ann Burden
In Margot’s first film post-big break, she plays Ann, a nuclear fallout survivor caught in a love triangle with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine, seemingly the only two other humans alive. Robbie employs an “aww shucks” Southern accent and a smidge too much wide-eyed naivety for a believable apocalypse survivor. Mimicking the film’s wonky radiation science (it’s no Chernobyl), her performance, while attempting something interesting, doesn’t quite add up.
19.About Time (2013) — Charlotte
How is this Margot’s only rom-com appearance? And she’s not even the lead! Who do I need to call about this? Margot plays Domhnall Gleeson’s pre-Rachel McAdams love interest in this time-traveling romance. She exudes charm and charisma in her handful of scenes but leaves us wanting more. On a side note, this is the first of four film collaborations between Margot and Domhnall.
18.Terminal (2018) — Annie/Bonnie
If there were a prize for Most Acting on this list, it would go to Margot’s performance as Annie in this neo-noir thriller. As a contract killer/diner waitress, Margot returns to the plastic sociopath vibes she employed in Suicide Squad, but combines them with an outrageous British accent, a dozen wigs, and a newfound gruesome creepiness. Her performance, and the film itself (also starring Matthew Lewis aka Neville Longbottom), is so bonkers, it’s hard to rank, but I think she channels her energy better elsewhere.
17.I.C.U. (2009) — Tristan Waters
While Vigilante was released earlier, I.C.U. is actually Margot’s first film performance. Her star quality is apparent even in this shaggy, low-budget horror movie about teenagers spying on their neighbors. Surrounded by stilted, clunkier performances, Margot shines as a realistic, constantly annoyed, Ashley Simpson lookalike. I.C.U. is worth a watch for B-movie horror fans, but sadly, is nearly impossible to get your hands on.
16.Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021) — Flopsy Rabbit/Narrator
Margot is pulling double duty in her one voiceover role. Not only is she playing Flopsy, the nervous, lisping, red-cardigan-wearing sister of James Corden’s Peter, but she’s also the film’s sassy narrator. Such a flex. Unfortunately, she has a bit less screen time in the sequel than she did in the original, as Peter Rabbit is off on his own adventures for much of the film (thus the "Runaway" bit of the title).
15.Peter Rabbit (2018) — Flopsy Rabbit/Narrator
The same as Peter Rabbit 2 only with more Margot involved.
14.Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) — Tanya Vanderpoel
While Margot can certainly breathe life into a homicidal waitress or post-apocalyptic farmhand, she plays an equally great regular human. As a journalist who befriends Tina Fey in this dramedy set during Operation Enduring Freedom, Robbie effortlessly plays the flirty, beautiful, talented reporter Fey aspires to be. Not a “stretch” for Margot, but she stands out nonetheless and proves comedy is in her wheelhouse. (Give us the rom-com!)
13.Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017) — Daphne de Selincourt
In another Gleeson/Robbie collab, our scene-stealing queen plays the wife of Winnie the Pooh author, A.A. Milne, and the mother of Christopher Robin (yes, the cartoon character is based on Milne’s real son). Far from a typical wife/mom role, Margot plays the London socialite with the perfect mix of pragmatic strength and energetic tenderness. Plus, during certain scenes, the actor playing her son is only five years younger than Robbie, so kudos for making that believable.
12.Amsterdam (2022) — Valerie Voze
Amsterdam is one of the worst, most convoluted, and deathly dull films I've had the displeasure of sitting through. Director David O. Russell seemingly gave all the actors the note to play with low energy (although not in a fun, quirky way). Robbie, who specializes in high-energy roles, is squandered in this film as a nurse from a wealthy background investigating a government conspiracy. She is muted here in a way that doesn't quite work, even though she's certainly better than the film as a whole.
11.Dreamland (2020) — Allison Wells
While it debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019, Dreamland didn't publically debut until over a year later when it essentially went straight to VOD mid-pandemic. In a role much more lively than her Amsterdam turn, Robbie plays a bank robber on the run and tries to seduce a farm boy to be the replacement Clyde to her Bonnie after her previous lover/partner died. Robbie is a smidge over the top, but delivers a solid performance in an okay film. This is the level lesser actors can only aspire to.
10.The Suicide Squad (2021) — Harley Quinn
The third of Robbie's trifecta of Harley Quinn roles comes in this mystifyingly named sequel to Suicide Squad that would have fared better at the box office if people knew it was a whole new film. Robbie is as great as ever as Quinn but is fighting for airtime in this surprisingly incredible ensemble film. I loved every second of this from the campy opening to the giant starfish at the conclusion. Robbie's Quinn is one of the most iconic film characters of the 2000s, and she delivers her third outing solidly.
9.Birds of Prey (2020) — Harley Quinn
Just one slot higher, and only because she's the main character and given more to do, is her second Harley Quinn film. This time around, she’s mourning a breakup with the Joker and leading a girl gang to take out Ewan McGregor’s new baddie, Black Mask. While the film is much better than its predecessor, its carnivalesque cartoony quality camouflages Harley a bit. Margot’s still insanely fun but not given the same darker layers to play with that she had in the grittier original. In a ranking of both films and performances, this is second on the Harley Quinn hierarchy.
8.Mary Queen of Scots (2018) — Queen Elizabeth I
In this, the peak of her wig-wearing career, Margot dons dozens (and sometimes even two at once) as the smallpox-ridden queen, jealous of her cousin. While Margot’s performance, especially in her final confrontation with Saoirse Ronan, is breathtaking, this is really Mary’s story, not Elizabeth’s. Saoirse is battling assassination attempts, while our brief cuts to Margot show her doing little but pining for Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. Robbie can do more!
7.Focus (2015) — Jess Barrett
In lesser hands, the role of Jess Barrett in this twisty, con-man thriller could have easily become that of a dull Bond girl serving as eye candy. Margot, however, brings so much spunk, pizzazz, and heart as the fledgling grifter that she nearly outshines costar Will Smith. Also, these two have CHEM. I. STRY.
6.Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019) — Sharon Tate
While Margot does not have many lines as the tragedy-destined actor in Quentin Tarantino’s best picture nominee, I’d argue that makes her performance all the more impressive. Without dialogue, she still connects the audience to her 1960s Hollywood starlet, transforming Sharon Tate from a tragic name we’ve heard to a lovable up-and-comer who feels like a friend.
5.Bombshell (2019) — Kayla Pospisil
In her second Oscar-nominated role, Margot plays the new girl at Fox News, thrilled to have landed the job, but increasingly aware of the nefarious environment. Margot not only sells herself as the naïve intern but also delivers a heartbreaking performance as she survives and grapples with her sexual assault. Her tender friendship (and romance) with Kate McKinnon also adds warmth to the devastating subject matter.
4.Babylon (2022) — Nellie LaRoy
Robbie's latest performance as the up-and-coming silent film actress in Damien Chazelle's bombastic tribute to debaucherous old Hollywood is at an eleven the entire time. She's taking the energy of Harley Quinn and ramping it up even higher, dancing, screaming, and snake-fighting her way through the film's three-plus hours. She's already received several nominations for the role (including Critics' Choice and the Golden Globes) and she's in the hunt for a well-deserved Oscar nomination. This might be my favorite of her films, and Robbie gives it everything she's got.
3.Suicide Squad (2016) — Harley Quinn
The film that launched a thousand Halloween costumes. While the DC Comic film was largely panned (27% on Rotten Tomatoes), everyone agrees that Robbie’s Harley Quinn was the bright spot. Her tragically smitten psychiatrist-turned-homicidal-lunatic erupted from the screen as an icon. She’s criminally insane and dangerous, and yet somehow relatable and sweet? Margot threads the line here, delivering the supervillain performance of the decade (sorry Joker!)
2.The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) — Naomi Lapaglia
You can’t talk about Margot Robbie without mentioning her scene-stealing turn as Leonardo DiCaprio’s second wife in The Wolf of Wall Street. A total unknown before this film, Robbie rocketed into stardom as the feisty model with a thick Brooklyn accent. Her scene with Leo on the playroom floor is legendary. Also, imagine my shock when I found out Margot was Australian!
1.I, Tonya (2017) — Tonya Harding
Margot’s first Oscar-nominated role remains her best work. Starring as the controversial 1990’s figure skating icon, Margot uses every tool in her toolbox, combining her ability to be brash and chaotic with that rootable tenderness. It’s one of her few leading performances (SHE DESERVES MORE!), and Margot leaves it all on the rink. Plus, just look at those wigs. Need I say more?
