We’re guessing this has been said before, but Margot Robbie may just be one of the most down-to-earth actors we’ve had the opportunity to interview. Not to mention that she’s even prettier and nicer IRL than you could possibly expect. We say all this because, as you can imagine, we were kind of nervous when we found ourselves heading uptown to meet with Robbie on the Monday after Thanksgiving, when our turkey brain was still in full effect. But all of that dissipated the moment we arrived to find her lounging barefoot on the couch, recounting the tale of showing up to her friend’s Thanksgiving with Jägerbombs in tow. Yeah, we told you she was chill.
We were there primarily to chat with Robbie about being named the latest face of Calvin Klein’s fragrance, deep euphoria, but couldn’t help but ask her about everything from her in-flight beauty advice and go-to dry shampoo, to ginger shots and shower beers. You could say it was a well-rounded conversation. Fast-forward to later that evening, as we put on our fanciest and headed out to join Robbie and Calvin Klein at a star-studded awards dinner celebrating IFP’s Gotham Awards—basically the Oscars of independent film, which brings light to what are sure to be the best movies of the year. All in all, it was definitely the most glamorous Monday we’ve had in a while. Or ever.
On celebrating American Thanksgiving:
“My friends and I are like orphans in L.A., so we jumped on someone else’s Thanksgiving dinner and it ended up being far more extravagant [than we expected]. We thought it was just going to be the five of us getting drunk, so we brought Jägerbombs, but there were kids at the table! We were like, ‘Okay! We’re gonna hide this bottle of Jäger.’ Because clearly, this is not the kind of Thanksgiving we are at. Of course, the Australians show up at this lovely family affair ready to get drunk, right? It was really, really nice though. We were thinking Jägerbombs to wrap up the evening, kind of counteract the sleepiness of the turkey.”
Why being the face of Calvin Klein’s deep euphoria reminds her of home:
“I’m really stoked to be the face of Calvin Klein deep euphoria. A few other opportunities had come up that I passed on because I didn’t know the brand very well or liked their products—I don’t want to endorse something I don't genuinely like because then I’ll feel like a real idiot. So when this came up it was perfect! I love Calvin Klein and their perfumes, all the women in my family wear Calvin Klein perfumes so it reminds me of home.
“When I first smelled deep euphoria I wasn’t sure I was going to start wearing it, but then I had the bottle and I kept wearing it and getting compliments. I smell a bit of rose, but it also has muskiness to keep it more subtle. It’s not too overbearing and it feels feminine enough without being sweet. I’m not super girly, but I still like having a feminine side. I want my boyfriend to be like, ‘Oh, you smell good.’ It’s also one of those perfumes that both guys and girls like the smell of.”
On confidence boosters (in the form of perfume and bubbles):
“I always feel better and more confident when I’m wearing perfume. To counteract nerves before an event or red carpet, I drink a glass of champagne. I don’t get ready on my own in dead silence because then I’m a basket case of nerves by the time I get there. I always have, like, six of my girlfriends over and they always bring champagne, so we have a glass of bubbles and chat. If I’m getting my makeup done, I can’t really be chatting but just listening to everyone’s stories and focusing on other people’s shit instead of your own helps.”
“I don’t want to be surrounded by people who are like, ‘What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What are you wearing? You, you, you.’ One thing I noticed early on is that some actors get surrounded by people who only focus on them—I’d be much more self-conscious if questions were constantly about what I’m doing. I just enjoy surrounding myself with people who aren’t in the industry. That’s key, and music and champagne, lots of ‘lols.’ I’ll just chill and then it’s fun and doesn’t feel like work, it feels like a pre-game!”
Her favorite makeup look and trick:
“If I have a big night out, I always get sweaty and gross, so less makeup is better—that way I won’t have eyeliner running down my face. If I’m wearing a red lip, I need to be doing nothing that night, just going to a very calm dinner and straight home. Otherwise I will have lipstick everywhere. I keep it pretty simple and natural because when I do more intense makeup it tends to look worse on me.
“When you do photo shoots and they want the look to be beachy, like you are not wearing any makeup—but actually you are wearing a ton of makeup—they draw your freckles on [over foundation]. They just dot on freckles with an eyebrow pencil and it looks like you are not wearing any makeup because your freckles are shining through. It’s my favorite thing they do—you feel younger and like you’ve been out in the sun, it looks amazing.”
What it’s like being on set and traveling non-stop:
“[Free time] is just nonexistent. Honestly, I make work fun because I do genuinely love working and I do it a lot. My best friend is my assistant, so that way, even if we have to do something we don’t want to, at least I’m still there with my best friend and everything becomes an adventure. If she is not there then I’ll bring [my boyfriend] Tom [Ackerley] with me, so if I’m going for work it still feels like a holiday.
“When I travel I catch up with friends because I’ve got groups of friends in New York, London, and L.A., and my family and friends back home [in Australia]. If I’m in a totally random city and haven’t been before, I get the Wallpaper* City Guides and follow the ‘24 hours in this city,’ which maps your day out. Like, 8AM, go to this café and order this, then go to this gallery at 11 AM and walk through this park. I get a nice overview of all the cool things to do and a feel for the city instead of going somewhere touristy.”
On combating jet lag and hands-free traveling:
“I use Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy on my temples and wrists. It’s meant to help with jet lag—I don’t know if it does but I like the smell of it so I do it anyway. In L.A., because you can’t throw a stick without hitting a juice bar, I get immune booster shots with ginger and turmeric, and I do genuinely think they help!
“If I can fit my things in my pockets, I won’t bring a bag with me. But generally you’d find my phone, lip balm, and wallet in there. I have my cards on a money clip so it can fit in my pockets. I like to travel light.”
What she drinks in the morning and right before bed:
“Tea and tea. I drink so much tea. I don’t really like coffee. I drink it if I’m getting a migraine because sometimes a shot of caffeine can help. But I drink a lot of tea. Dilmah black tea is my favorite brand of tea! Like a nerd I carry it around with me everywhere—if you are a tea drinker you always have your specific kind with you. My roommates will only drink PG Tips because they are Londoners and I’ll only drink Dilmah because that is what I had growing up. So we’ll all carry around our box of tea bags—it’s ridiculous.
“I do drink a lot of water, too. Sometimes, after work, I’ll have a beer in the bath—a bath beer! If I don’t think I’m going to fall asleep, I’ll have a really hot bath and a really cold beer and then float off to bed. Oh my god, it’s the nicest thing! Or a beer shower, I’ll do that as well. It’s like a baby’s bottle before bed.”
Her top 5 hero beauty products:
1. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms: I’m obsessed with them.
2. Peter Thomas Roth Max Complexion Correction Pads: I always get on a plane with these. As soon as I sit down on a flight I take my makeup off and then I have these little pads and my face is squeaky-clean afterwards.
3. Aesop Immediate Moisture Facial Hydrosol: I always have this in my handbag and spray it on my face throughout the day.
4. Laura Mercier Creme Cheek Color: I put some of this on my eyelids as an eyeshadow and on my cheeks as well. I saw my makeup artist doing it on me and was like ‘Oh, that is really clever!’ One less product I have to worry about.
5. Klorane Dry Shampoo: This is the shit. If you’ve got blonde hair it’s the best because it covers your roots and makes it look like you just got them done, when really it’s just a ton of dry shampoo.