Margot Robbie on How ‘Birds of Prey’ Will Feature a Powerful Girl Gang
Margot Robbie has played everything from an Olympic ice skater to a wife of a Wall Street wolf to an unhinged superhero, but her real-life passions lie in making the world a better place for generations to come. The Oscar-nominated actress spoke at Nissan Futures LA — an event dedicated to exploring how technology can help enable a safer, more sustainable future — about all things green. As a Nissan brand ambassador and LEAF driver (“I’m not contracted to drive a LEAF; I just like it”), Robbie said her dedication to sustainability wasn’t a result of an “aha” moment, but seeing climate change over time and being fed up of waiting for someone else to fix it.
“It’s so easy,” says Robbie about incorporating simple, everyday changes in your life to help the environment. She partnered with Nissan after she researched the company and was impressed with its various initiatives to make sustainability accessible to and achievable by everyone. And Robbie doesn’t just talk the talk. She drives an electric vehicle, recycles, turns off unnecessary lights and running water, and avoids plastic wherever possible, all things she says are not difficult to do nor take any time out of your day. She says it’s a matter of adjusting our mindsets to realize that taking care of the planet is a shared responsibility, and if we all do one little thing, we can make a difference together. “Do something small, it doesn’t have to be big and difficult.”
This mentality has carried over into Hollywood in general; Robbie says most productions, both large and small, now have green initiatives built into the budget to help reduce waste and reduce plastic use. “There’s a lot of people on set, all the time. You do go through a ton of materials.”
Robbie’s other passions include empowering women in entertainment. She says her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, is dedicated to providing “a platform for female voices in the industry, female filmmakers, and female-driven content and stories.” LuckyChap Entertainment produced I, Tonya, which received multiple Oscar nominations, including one for Robbie for best actress and a win for Allison Janney for best supporting actress. The company’s future slate includes, among other projects, the Harley Quinn spin-off, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), which is currently in pre-production.
“I’m excited to play Harley again,” says Robbie of her breakout role from 2016’s Suicide Squad. “It’s been while… so I can’t wait to get back into the character.” The film promises to be a powerhouse of female talent. On screen, it focuses on Harley Quinn and three other female superheroes, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, and Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, as they take on a villain played by Ewan McGregor. Behind the cameras, Birds of Prey has both a female director and producer (Robbie is a producer on the film as well).
“I’ve been saying for quite some time that I want to act with a group of women on the screen. I’m working on a film at the moment where Charlize Theron’s producing and she’s in it, Nicole Kidman’s in it, Kate McKinnon [is in it]. It’s just a gang of incredible women, and the Birds of Prey film is going to be like that as well — a gang of really awesome women.”
What are your easiest tips for staying green? Share them with us @BritandCo.
(Photo via Getty Images for Nissan)
