Margot Robbie’s way – while not as extreme – is certainly ‘wild’. During a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Robbie revealed that she uses animals as her inspirations for the roles she plays. Essentially, she uses the characteristics and popular perceptions of animals to inform her own interpretations of the role. 

In I, Tonya – the first time she used this trick – she was inspired by pit-bulls and horses. “With her ice skates on, I wanted to be heavy on the feet … I wanted the character to feel like the world was bearing down on her all the time. But then, on the ice, she’s a mustang, like a wild horse when she’s ice skating. So she’s two animals, really.” Robbie explained. She used the trick again for her role in Babylon, which coincidentally shows her fighting a rattlesnake in one scene. For this, she was inspired by octopuses and honey badgers. 

“There are actual videos of honey badgers fighting snakes. There’s videos of honey badgers, which aren’t huge animals, fighting lions. And they have really thick skin. [My character Nellie] fights anything and anyone at the drop of a hat.” she said. 

While it sounds convoluted, Robbie explained how the process actually helped her get out of her head and tap into the instincts of a character. “Sometimes your head gets so clouded with statistics and facts and the history [of a character]. But if you just revert back to the animal, then you can just be really, really instinctual.” she said.
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