What's Inside?
- Margot Robbie revealed she was once given a book about dieting by a male co-star early in her career.
- The actress called the gift insulting, exposing subtle body shaming young women often face while trying to survive Hollywood.
- Robbie’s story contrasts sharply with her rise into an Oscar-nominated star and powerful producer shaping modern cinema today.
Margot Robbie has never shied away from honesty, but her latest revelation cuts deeper because it speaks to a quiet reality many actors face early in their careers. In a candid conversation that quickly went viral, the Oscar-nominated star revisited a moment that still stings. It was not about rejection or a lost role. It was about disrespect, wrapped as a gift. Robbie’s recollection sheds light on the unspoken pressures placed on young women in Hollywood, while also showing how far she has risen since those early days. Her story arrives at a time when conversations about body image, power, and accountability are finally moving into the open.
Margot Robbie Recalls a Rude Gift She Never Forgot
During a video interview with Charli XCX for Complex’s “GOAT Talk,” Margot Robbie was asked a deceptively simple question about the worst gift she has ever received. Her answer came quickly and landed hard.
“Very, very early in my career, an actor I worked with, a male actor, gave me a book called ‘Why French Women Don’t Get Fat,’ and it was essentially a book telling you to eat less,” Robbie recalled. “I was like, ‘Woah. F—k you, dude.’”
The moment was awkward then, and it remains unforgettable now. When XCX pressed further and asked whether the actor was still working, Robbie made it clear how long ago it happened. “That was a very [long time ago]. I have no idea where he would even be now. This was really back in the day.”
XCX jumped in with humor, telling the unnamed actor, “Your career’s over, babe.” Robbie, however, brought the focus back to the message behind the gift. “He essentially gave me a book to let me know that I should lose weight,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow.’”
The book, written by Mireille Guiliano and published in 2004, centers on moderation and French eating habits. Context did not soften the impact. For a young actor trying to find her footing, the gesture felt insulting and unnecessary.
Margot Robbie’s Rise from Early Disrespect to Lasting Power
What makes the story resonate is how sharply it contrasts with where Margot Robbie stands today. She earned her first screen credits in 2008 on Australian television before breaking through globally with The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013. From there, she built a career defined by range and risk, earning Oscar nominations for I, Tonya and Bombshell, and later a Best Picture nomination as a producer for Barbie.
Robbie’s current work reflects that same confidence. She now stars opposite Jacob Elordi in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, a bold new adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel. Fennell once explained why Robbie was her only choice for Cathy, saying, “Cathy is a star… It’s difficult to find that supersized star power. Margot comes with big dick energy. That’s what Cathy needs.”
The journey from being handed an insulting book to leading major films is not just a success story. It is a reminder. Margot Robbie did not shrink herself to fit someone else’s expectations. She outgrew it.
