The Divine Miss M

Margot Robbie has boundary issues—and for that we are grateful.

- Allison Janney

THE PIERCING EYES. The megawatt smile. The extreme charisma. Margot Robbie is, yes, a knockout. But like the women she’s portrayed in her decade-long career—a trophy wife on a mission in The Wolf of Wall Street; a balls-to-the-wall war reporter in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot; the feisty, feminist Jane in The Legend of Tarzan; and, of course, Suicide Squad’s lovable lunatic criminal, Harley Quinn—the Aussie stunner is so much more than an ingenue. In truth, Robbie, 27, is a character actor, ready to take risks with roles that are as transformational for her as they are pure cinematic joy for the rest of us. And in her most recent award-worthy work, as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya—a dark comedy about the life of the infamous Olympic figure skater—Robbie’sbravura extends beyond the screen. She both led and produced the film via LuckyChap Entertainment, which she created in 2015 with her now-husband, assistant director Tom Ackerley. Now the production company has more than half a dozen films and one recently sold TV show—a Hulu comedy called Dollface— in development. When she’s not producing, Robbie continues to take on meaty roles, like Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots (costarring Saoirse Ronan), for which Robbie dons the period costume, the pasty makeup, and a wig you’ll have to see to believe. The multi tasker somehow found time to sit down with her I, Tonya costar Allison Janney—who plays Harding’s unhinged, abusive mother—for a charming, personal conversation.—Seth Plattner

ALLISON JANNEY: Margot, I just Googled your Queen Elizabeth look. My jaw is on the floor.

MARGOT ROBBIE: It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?