Although Margot Robbie still feels relatively new to the big screen, she jumped into the major spotlight a full decade ago. In that time, she has managed to amass a number of hugely memorable performances across a variety of genres.
Robbie hasn’t shied away from huge blockbusters, superhero films, or Oscar-worthy dramatic performances. She is a master of many comedic styles as well as deeply psychological performances, and she’s even tried her hand at the particularly difficult biopic genre. Some of her best performancescould easily be ahead of her, but these are some of the greatest thus far.
7 The Wolf Of Wall Street
Robbie’s initial breakout role helped make her the star she is today, and was a large part of the reason behind her getting her biggest role to date in Harley Quinn, her appearance in The Wolf Of Wall Street was hugely memorable.
Martin Scorsese’s enormous and crazy film introduced Robbie as Naomi, the second wife of leading character Jordan Belfort, and her riotous, outspoken performance made her memorable in the eyes of almost everyone that saw the film, instantly promoting Robbie to major star and sex symbol.
6 Focus
Next, Robbie would go on to star with another huge leading man in the form of Will Smith as a pair of hustlers. Robbie’s character learned over the course of the film from Smith’s character how to hustle at a high level, and though the film was a slight let-down at the box office, the fiery chemistry of the duo ensured it wasn’t the last time they would appear together.
Margot Robbie managed even at a relatively young age to stand out in these earlier career performances from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith, and it was sharing the screen with such major stars that helped her elevate her career while she continued to be the stand-out star of everything that she appeared in.
5 I, Tonya
One of her largest and most intriguing roles to date has been Robbie’s performance as the controversial figure skater Tonya Harding. The film chose to use a mixture of the biopic style, and black comedy elements and turned itself into an outright mockumentary, trying to make it clear that the film’s events were based on a version of history told by Tonya Harding and her ex-husband, meaning the truth of it is debatable.
Whether the film is real, the tongue-in-cheek style fit Margot and her performance perfectly, and the film was a big success for her, earning her a nomination for best actress at the Academy Awards. This remains one of Robbie’s most notable achievements to date as an actor.
4 Mary Queen Of Scots
Continuing her run of appearing in serious, Oscar-worthy films alongside her roles as Harley Quinn in the DCEU, Robbie appeared as Queen Elizabeth I alongside Saoirse Ronan as Mary Queen of Scots in this period piece drama. Looking at home in this serious style of film, Robbie nailed the role.
While the focus was on Ronan’s character, Robbie was able to steal some of the few scenes she appeared in, and was able more than in many of her other roles to show the range that she is truly capable of as an actor, proving once and for all that she is not to be taken lightly.
3 Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Another massive role for Robbie came in the form of Quentin Tarantino’s sweeping epic about some of the final days of Hollywood’s golden age. Robbie starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (not for the first time) and Brad Pitt (not for the last time) as real-life figure Sharon Tate.
Tarantino changed historical events in the film by having DiCaprio’s fictional character help to foil the murder of Sharon Tate, and Margot’s version of the character stunned and stole scenes once again as she managed to survive the crazy sequence of events that took place during the film.
2 Bombshell
Bombshell is one of Margot Robbie’s most serious and delicate roles to date, as the subject of Bombshell is difficult to speak about and even harder to make movies about. Starring alongside an ensemble featuring Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman as women working at Fox News who try to take down CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment, Robbie managed to earn her second Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Bombshell was a brave film that underperformed at the box office but was mostly praised by critics, particularly for the screenplay and the performances of the three leads. This was probably Robbie’s most difficult role to date, but it was one that she nailed with aplomb.
1 The Suicide Squad
While Margot Robbie has always been hugely impressive as Harley Quinn in the various appearances she has made as the character, it was James Gunn’s interpretation of her and other characters from DC Comics that best gave her the chance to shine on the screen in the role.
The Suicide Squad came out in 2021 and featured Harley as a member of a doomed team sent to die so another Suicide Squad could infiltrate an island nation. Her character ends up imprisoned, courted by a madman, and then joins up with her teammates to take down a giant starfish, and it was another thrilling and hilarious performance by Robbie, showing off her full range.