Known for her exceptional talent on the screen and the recent blockbuster Barbie, Margot Robbie is among some of the highly celebrated Hollywood stars. The actress has portrayed a range of characters under several genres, which has landed her two Academy Award nominations as well. However, when it comes to how she approaches her character in I, Tonya, she has shared an unusual method during a conversation with actor Jake Gyllenhaal on Variety’s Actors on Actors.
Robbie portrayed the American figure skater Tonya Harding in the 2017 biopic. However, the actress shared that she did not want to meet Harding to prepare for her role as she believed it would have compromised her performance.
Margot Robbie Had An Unusual Approach to Star in a Biopic
It is common practice among actors to get to know the character they are set to portray in a movie, and doing justice to the character and their story becomes even more important when they are a real person. Many actors are known to meet the person they portray and learn as much about them as possible.
However, when Margot Robbie was cast as Tonya Harding in the 2017 film, the actress took an unusual approach as she avoided meeting the figure skater while preparing for her role in the movie. During a conversation with fellow Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal on Actors on Actors, she said,
“I actually wanted to keep a bit of distance in… I knew that if I met her and liked her, I would never play this character properly. I would be sugarcoating her flaws. I’d be trying to justify the bad things that she may do or say in a situation.”
Robbie explained that she believed that meeting Tonya Harding would have compromised her performance in justifying her actions, and she did not want to do that. The Bombshell actress also shared that she was determined to play the character based on her research, even after meeting Harding in person.
When Margot Robbie Finally Met Tonya Harding
Margot Robbie met the figure skater soon before the filming for the 2017 biopic was about to begin. The actress shared that she had plenty of resources to study her character and everything that she has been through. And she did not want to change her perspective after she actually met the figure skater.
Robbie shared that when she finally met Tonya Harding, she made it clear that “there’s a “difference in my mind between the character I’m playing and you.” The Oscar-nominated actress shared that she did not want that feeling to hold her back from giving it all.
“And I just hope you understand that when you one day see this movie. Because I can’t let that hold me back on set,” she said further into the conversation. And the unique approach seems to have worked, as the actress received the nomination for Best Actress at the 90th Academy Awards.
I, Tonya is available on Max.
Source: Actors on Actors
