Margot Robbie explains why she’s taking break from acting after Barbie

By Martina Ward On Jan 11, 2024

Margot Robbie has explained why she might be taking a break from acting and stepping behind the camera more regularly instead.

Robbie, who produced the blockbuster film Barbie and played the film’s titular character, has said in a new interview with Deadline that she might “disappear” from screens for a while because “everybody is probably sick of the sight of me” after the success of the film.

The actor, whose breakout role was in the 2013 film Wolf of Wall Street, set up her own production company LuckyChap in 2014, which has produced Emerald Fennell films Saltburn and Promising Young Womanas well the Suicide Squad spin-off Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

After the success of Barbie, which saw Robbie’s face plastered across billboards worldwide, the actor started to think it might be too soon to star in another blockbuster.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Are you having a break?’ And I’m like, ‘You do know I’m a producer, right? We don’t get a break,’” she said.

“I also think everyone’s probably sick of the sight of me for now. I should probably disappear from screens for a while.”

Robbie continued: “Honestly, if I did another movie too soon, people would say, ‘Her again? We just did a whole summer with her. We’re over it.’ I don’t know what I’ll do next, but I hope it’s a little while away.”

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in ‘Barbie’

At the Golden Globes on Sunday night (7 January), Barbie was awarded the inaugural Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, a category created to recognise films that both “garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence”. While it only took home one award, Barbie, which was the highest-grossing film of 2023, received nine nominations at the Globes.

Robbie arrived at the awards in a Barbie pink Armani dress, because she was inspired by the 1977 doll Superstar Barbie.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video

Margot Robbie at the Golden Globes

(AP)

During a red carpet interview at the Golden Globes, Robbie reflected on what it meant to her to see the “sea of people wearing pink” at cinema showings of Barbie when it was released during the summer.

“It was just such a wild feeling and I just haven’t really seen this communal kind of experience at the theatres since I was a kid,” she explained.

According to Warner Bros, the movie contributed more than £80 million to the UK economy and created 685 jobs. The majority of the movie was filmed at Leavesden studios in Hertfordshire, where director Greta Gerwig created the intricate Barbieland sets.

In written evidence to MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee as part of its British film and high-end TV inquiry, Warner Bros said last year: “During its production in the UK, it contributed over £80m in direct spend to the local economy, created 685 jobs, involved over 6,000 extras, supported 754 local businesses, paid over £40m in local wages.

“It has also generated over £95m in box office revenues in the UK alone. As such the benefit of attracting such productions are that they are net positive for the UK.”