Margot Robbie Makes Her Move

ELLE – 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. Below, find a preview of Robbie’s February cover interview with her I, Tonya co-star, Allison Janney, where she discusses her future as a director, the highlight of her career and what it was like playing Tonya Harding:

On fear of playing a real-life character: “…playing Tonya [Harding], who’s very much alive and is widely documented, can be more intimidating.”

On directing: “I still love acting. But I’ve spent the last 10 years on a film set, and I realized that if I am pouring my heart and soul into a film, I want to be one of those voices in the conversation making decisions.”

On the first highlight of her career: “When I got to New York for the first time, I took my first paycheck, walked straight into Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue, and bought an airplane charm that goes on my bracelet. It was the best feeling ever. I got my little blue box, and I got it for myself.”

On which skill she wants to master: “I recently bought fire-twirling poles, because I really want to get good at it. When I was backpacking in the Philippines, there were heaps of fire twirlers on the beach, and it was so cool. I was like, Wow, I really want to do that!”

Hair by Renato Campora at the Wall Group; makeup by Pati Dubroff at Forward Artists; manicure by Alexandra Jachno; set design by Bryan Porter for Owl and the Elephant; produced by Nathalie Akiya at Kranky Produktions; fashion assistants: Yashua Simmons and Mark-Paul Barro

This article originally appears in the February 2018 issue of ELLE.