Two-time Academy Award nominee, Margot Robbie is renowned for her exceptional ability to seamlessly embody diverse characters on the silver screen. From the fervent Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street to Queen Elizabeth I in Mary, Queen of Scots, Robbie consistently delivers performances that transcend the boundaries of acting, immersing audiences in the complexity of her characters.
However, despite her acting prowess, the 2019 film Bombshell posed a unique challenge for the actress, as she later opened up about how she felt extremely uncomfortable while filming one of the scenes in the movie.
Margot Robbie Opened Up About Uncomfortable Filming Experience
Following the story of the women at Fox News as they expose the former CEO Roger Ailes, the 2019 film Bombshell featured Margot Robbie as a composite character named Kayla. During a panel discussion at Lionsgate’s The Contenders Los Angeles event, the actress opened up about one of the scenes in the film that made her extremely uncomfortable.
Talking about the scene where her character is asked to lift her skirt by Ailes in his office, the actress emphasized the discomfort she and her co-star John Lithgow felt while filming it. “John and I were equally as disturbed by that scene,” she said, as per Grazia Magazine.
The actress expressed gratitude for the supportive on-set environment created by director Jay Roach and the dedicated crew. However, the Oscar-nominated actress still highlighted that the “content of that scene is incredibly disturbing.”
Everything in the scene, from the prolonged discomfort experienced by Kayla to Lithgow’s minimal dialogue, emphasizes the disturbing nature of the scene. “That’s what made it so disturbing. There’s no escape,” Robbie said, highlighting what made her feel so uncomfortable while filming it.
John Lithgow Found the Sequence Equally Disturbing
The Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow took on the role of the former CEO of Fox News in the 2019 film. And the actor also expressed discomfort with the scene due to its intense nature. He shared how the scene consisted almost entirely of stage directions, with minimal dialogues and relying heavily on the their performances.
“It’s almost entirely stage directions,” he said, explaining that he and Robbie acted out the scene exactly as it was written. “There are about 12 syllables that pass in the course of about three minutes, and yet your heart just starts pounding,” he further stated as he described the scene as “disturbing.”
The cast of the film received praise for their performance, with Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie earning nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. The movie won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Bombshell is available to stream on Peacock.
