The actor takes a break from the Suicide Squad shoot to talk about the energy of Comic-Con, working with DiCaprio and Scorsese – and having a ‘market value’

Hi, Margot! Where are you now?

In Toronto.

So you’re still shooting Suicide Squad? (1)

Yeah, we’re wrapping up very shortly. We have another week or two to go.

It’s not often you see a trailer for film that’s still being shot. (2)

I know! We shot so much by that point that I guess they could put something together, but it’s kind of crazy how much we shot.

What’s it like to be part of a project with so much hype attached?

It’s pretty intense. It’s always bigger than you think it’s going to be. I definitely didn’t think it through when I took on the job, but once you’re in the midst of it, it’s too late to take it back. The whole comic-book world has such a huge fan base. But fortunately when you’re on set every day, you’re with the same crew, and the same cast every day for so many months, that you’re kind of sheltered from it. You get a taste of it when you do exterior shoots, like on the streets, and fans line up – you’re kind of reminded of how closely people are watching and anticipating it.

You looked so happy at Comic-Con.

It was so much fun! We got to fly there, just quickly, in the middle of shooting, and it was the first kind of outing that we’ve all had in so long, and the energy at Comic-Con is just insane. It’s really infectious. I don’t know how everyone else is so composed when they walk on to the stage.

Hopefully that enthusiasm can extend into the long press tour.

If it’s anything like Comic-Con was, the publicists are all going to have nervous breakdowns, but we’re going to have a blast.

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You should have a talk with Jesse Eisenberg. He compared his Comic-Con experience to genocide. (3)

Oh God, I’ve heard. I guess we have very different viewpoints. But I think our publicists would compare it to herding cattle.

The path you’ve been on as a working actor has been pretty atypical. First you worked with Martin Scorsese (4), then you went to Sundance.

It was kind of nice though. It’s still all about passionate film-makers. Marty, even at 70, still strikes me as one of the biggest film enthusiasts that I’ve come across. A lot of people in the indie world admire him, despite the fact that the things he works on have such a large scale. I’ve felt as much passion on the big ones as I have on the other ones.

I was actually trying to get the role of Ann in Z for Zachariah before I had done Wolf. But because I hadn’t done a large film, I didn’t have enough international value to my name to get the film funded. So another actress was attached who had been in more bigger budget, commercial films. Ironically, you have to do the bigger films in order to make a small film. When I first tried to do Z for Zachariah, I couldn’t attach enough value to my name.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Robbie with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street

To say out loud that your name has “market value” must be a bit bizarre.

Yeah, it is really odd. Someone put it to me interestingly a few years ago: every actor has a price tag. To make a film is just a math equation. And if you can make the actor’s numbers add up, then the movie can get made, and if you can’t, then you’re going to have to reevaluate who you’re hiring. I got told what my price tag was the other day, when someone said: “If we put you in this film, we’d get this amount for funding.” It kind of reminds you in some ways you’re just a part of the system, but you always have great directors fighting for the authentic choice. But on the other hand, you have the financiers and the producers doing the math behind it.

Sundance 2015 review: Z for Zachariah – Chiwetel Ejiofor circles post-apocalypse love triangle Read more

Was acting with Chiwetel Ejiofor intimidating?

Yeah! It was right in the midst of the 12 Years a Slave press, so it was a little intimating. And he’s a force to be reckoned with on set. He’s a really powerful actor, really like Leo [DiCaprio]. They both have a screen presence; they’ve very lovely, approachable people, but when you’re doing a scene with them, if you don’t keep up with them, they’ll just roll right over you.

Is it tough living so far from your loved ones?

It is. That’s definitely one of the biggest sacrifices, missing out on everything, really. You miss your friend’s baby being born, you miss everyone’s wedding, you miss everyone’s birthdays, and seeing your nephew grow up. So far, the pros outweigh the cons with my job. And so as long as that remains the case, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. But it definitely sucks.

I went to Australia once and the flights there and back were gruelling.

That’s what everyone says! But for us from Australia, getting anywhere takes so long that a trip to LA is like piece of cake. A 14-hour flight to us is nothing. You have a nap and you’re there.

Footnotes

1. Part of DC’s new extended universe; Robbie co-stars with Jared Leto and Will Smith.

2. The trailer was leaked online from Comic-Con, then Warner released it officially.

3. “It is like being screamed at by thousands of people,” said Eisenberg. “I don’t know what the experience is throughout history, probably some kind of genocide.”

4. Her first major role was as DiCaprio’s trophy wife in The Wolf of Wall Street.

• Z for Zachariah is released in the US on 28 August

