Margot Robbie admits she only learned the definition of sexual harassment in the workplace when starring in Bombshell (Picture: Getty Images/Bafta)
Margot Robbie says it was ‘shocking’ she didn’t know the definition of workplace sexual harassment until she starred in a film centred squarely on it.
The Australian actress, who began her career on Neighbours before becoming one of the biggest names in Hollywood, was lauded for her performance in 2019’s Bombshell.
The film tells the story of real-life Fox journalists Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson (Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman), as well as fictional Kayla (Margot), who face misogyny and sexual harassment at their workplace.
Bombshell is based on the true story of the sexual harassment scandal that took down then-head of Fox News Roger Ailes.
Now I, Tonya star Margot has reflected on the award-winning film, and admits she wasn’t aware of the definition of workplace sexual harassment at the time – despite being in a position of power herself.
Speaking on Tuesday at Bafta: A Life in Pictures supported by TCL, she said: ‘I realised that I, a person with an established position in the industry, financially set up and self-sufficient, didn’t know the definition of sexual harassment.’
She added: ‘And that’s shocking.’
The acclaimed actress opened up during a Life in Pictures talk in London’s Bafta (Picture: Getty Images for Bafta)
Margot compared the film’s subject, Ailes, to Harvey Weinstein, and said ‘insidious’ people like them ‘flourish in the grey area’ where the situation may not be seen by everyone as ‘black and white.’
She admitted it ‘horrified’ her how little she knew before taking on the role – but appeared to be more than happy when it was over.
While some of the characters she plays may ‘stick around’ for a while after filming comes to an end, she admitted: ‘I shook Kayla off quickly, as soon as I could, I did.’
The same could not be said for her acclaimed Suicide Squad character Harley Quinn: Margot admitted that for weeks afterwards the character will still be with her.
Margot was happy to ‘shake off’ her Bombshell character, while others – like Harley Quinn – tend to ‘stick around’ (Picture: Getty Images for Bafta)
The actress may be one of the biggest names in the world, but recently she admitted she almost quit acting after Wolf of Wall street as she struggled with essentially-overnight fame.
‘I remember saying to my mum, “I don’t think I want to do this,”‘ she told Vanity Fair.
‘And she just looked at me, completely straight-faced, and was like, “Darling, I think it’s too late not to.” That’s when I realised the only way was forward.’
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The actress admitted that although she has found ways of coping with the attention, she is still a little uncomfortable with the spotlight.
She explained: ‘The way I try to explain this job—and this world—to people is that the highs are really high, and the lows are really, really low. And I guess if you’re lucky, it all balances out in the middle.’
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She was ‘horrified’ by how little she knew.
