Over the last 10 years, Margot Robbie has stepped into the skates of Tonya Harding, taken up the mantle of Harley Quinn and, next up, she’s playing the world’s most famous doll, Barbie.
The live-action film is due out in 2020 and set to be written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, while Robbie serves as a producer. At the premiere of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the actress explained why Barbie is a character worth bringing to life.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to put some positivity out in the world and a change to be aspirational for younger kids,” Robbie told Variety’s Marc Malkin.
While Barbie may be an aspirational icon, in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the actress is taking on a different kind of challenge — playing the late Sharon Tate in the Tarantino film. The actress looked every part the movie star, exuding old Hollywood glamour as she posed alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and director Quentin Tarantino on the red carpet Monday night at the TCL Chinese Theater. But was there any hesitation about playing the late actress?
“After I read the script, I definitely felt confident because it was very evident the take that Quentin had in portraying her — and it was evident to me by the way he wrote her that he adored her and he was charmed by her and he had memories of watching her when he was 7-years-old and just being utterly delighted — and that kind of seeped into his writing,” Robbie explained. “I could feel that when I read it and it was just, it was a great opportunity.”
“I think obviously the film is based on two fictional characters [DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton and Pitt’s Cliff Booth], but Sharon’s presence throughout is a nice way, I think, to give her a chance for people to really appreciate the life she lived as opposed to remembering her for her death.” she said.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is in theaters on July 26.