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Margot Robbie On The Conditions She Placed On Playing Jane In ‘The Legend Of Tarzan’

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 03:10 PST, Jun 29, 2016

Margot Robbie is a rising star with several blockbusters coming out soon that feature her in a leading role. Landing one of the leading roles in Suicide Squad put her on many people’s radar as an actress to watch out for in the future, and now her role as Jane in the new Tarzan movie has cemented her position as one of this decade’s most talented entertainers.

The Whiskey Tango Foxtrot actress is playing a key role in bringing one of the most beloved Disney tales to life. According to Digital Spy, Margot Robbie poked some fun at critics who find controversy from just about anything.

She joked about how many critics might be too focused on her Legend of Tarzan co-star Alexander Skarsgard instead of her and pondered the question of whether her co-star being shirtless for much of the film will be regarded as sexist.

“Maybe they will find sexism in Alexander having his shirt off so much when I don’t. That’s it. We’re objectifying Alex and his wonderful torso.”

Margot Robbie also tackled the idea of how age becomes an issue in Hollywood when it comes to playing certain roles, especially due to her being called “too young” to be Will Smith’s lover in the film Focus and to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Margot Robbie spoke on how age played a role for her and her co-star Will Smith in Focus, saying that she is confident that Will Smith looks much younger than he actually is, while she feels that she looks older than her actual age.

“I can’t play younger. Nobody’s going to cast me as 16. Maybe I’ll make a fuss over it when I’m in my forties and some 20-year-old actress is getting all the good roles.”

Robbie did note that she had her work cut out for her convincing casting agents that she could take on meatier roles, and it has taken independent movies like Z for Zachariah to prove herself as an actress. She went on to say that independent films give everyone associated with the production of the movie, including the directors, actors, and writers, the opportunity to take a chance. In the end, she says that the success of an independent film simply comes down to having a big name attached to a small film, and the actors involved in an independent film then hope to draw the attention of a bigger film project. Once the bigger project sets their eyes on an actor, they can then decide whether they will take a gamble on that actor in a larger-scale mainstream film project.

When it came to her most recent film role, Margot Robbie explained that her take on Jane was created with the aim of bringing intelligence and depth to the character. According to the New York Daily News, Margot Robbie took on the role of Jane with the mindset that she did not just want to become a damsel in distress.

Robbie initially only agreed to sign on to the project if her character would roar just as loud as her on-screen husband would.

Margot Robbie spoke on her take and direction with Jane.

“For the purpose of the plot, I needed to be held captive and used for bait for Christoph Waltz’s villain to get his hands on Tarzan. But [director] David Yates and I spoke at length that even when she is tied up or shackled or being held captive, she’s always going to be fighting her way out of it — not just physically, but also with these mind games going on between [Jane and the villain].”

Margot Robbie also admitted that the luxury of choosing her roles only came to her after the success of The Wolf of Wall Street. Prior to that film, she had to line up to audition for her roles along with the millions of other actresses fighting for the chance to make it in Hollywood. She is thankful now that she is in the position where she can turn down roles that don’t have the depth and complexity that she is looking for.

[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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