9 Years Later, Margot Robbie's Cult Classic is Still One of Her Best Performances

Published Oct 7, 2026, 6:05 AM EDT

Abby Jackam is a contributer for Collider and ShowSnob, a media journalist for Trill Mag, and an aspiring novelist. She graduated Washington State University Vancouver in 2025 with a Bachelor's degree in Humanities. 

Whenever she can, Abby is writing. From research papers to book reviews, Abby's passion lies in storytelling and literary pursuits. 

Margot Robbie's career has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. She's taken on a number of iconic roles from Harley Quinn to Barbie to Catherine Earnshaw. She's worked with notable directors like Quentin Tarantino and Emerald Fennel, as well as actors like Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio. In the past decade, Robbie has grown in popularity as an actress people want to see more of, but first, she had to prove she had what it takes. The 2017 film I, Tonya provided Margot Robbie with the perfect opportunity to flex her abilities as a dramatic actress in a career-defining way.

Some actors dream of a role like this. Not everyone gets to break away from their type casting and be able to show their worth to the craft in a way that makes people reconsider them. I, Tonya proved that it just takes one movie to make or break an actor's career, and luckily for Margot Robbie, she made it.

'I, Tonya' Retold an Infamous Controversy For a New Audience

Margot Robbie plays Tonya Harding, a real-life figure skater with a complicated career. The film, directed by Craig Gillespie, serves as a dramatized biography of the former skater's childhood and professional life. With Allison Janney as Tonya's abusive mother and Sebastian Stan as her equally abusive husband, I, Tonya depicts the challenging upbringing and personal life Harding experienced. The film is an intimate look into her personal life and how it impacted nearly every aspect of her career.

I, Tonya is an examination into a controversial figure's upbringing. Her career as a figure skater set new records, but was also defined by the elitism within the sport. Harding's low income upbringing clashed with other skaters who grew up more affluent. This colored people's perception of her as a skater, even darkening her reputation in critical times. Many will associate Tonya Harding's name with the 1994 scandal with Nancy Kerrigan, but that's not all her career amounted to. Her time as a figure skater was wrought with highs and lows, but she was a substantial member of her sport. The film acknowledges the scandal, but lays the foundation to help viewers understand the backstory behind it. Tonya's professional life coexisted with her personal life, for better or for worse.

Margot Robbie Demonstrated New Depths with 'I, Tonya'

Margot Robbie has a knack for comedy and the ability to master emotional scenes, but I, Tonya stands out as one of her best performances. In the role, she's able to disappear from the blonde bombshell Hollywood wanted her to be and was able to portray a deeply complicated, misunderstood figure. Tonya's strenuous life and volatile personality aren't an easy feat to depict, but it proved no problem for Margot Robbie. She gives the performance her all, capturing Tonya's desperate spirit and will to surpass expectations.

I, Tonya was a film unlike anything Margot Robbie had touched on in her career. In 2016, she starred in Suicide Squad in her first appearance as Harley Quinn, a comedic and unpredictable antihero. I, Tonya was a major pivot from what she'd done previously. It was gritty, ugly, and elaborately emotional, but it was the perfect film for Robbie to pick up. She truly made the role her own while embodying the real characteristics of Tonya Harding. In this new light, she was given the opportunity to demonstrate everything that makes her the phenomenal actor audiences recognize today. There's a critical scene in the film where Robbie is sitting alone in front of a mirror, fighting a breakdown while applying her heavy makeup. Robbie's pure emotions carry this scene, creating this intimate, uncomfortable perspective for the audience to contend with.

I, Tonya is not a perfect film by any means, but it was the perfect one for Margot Robbie's career. Robbie was able to assuage any doubts about her as an actress and transformed the role into her own. With this career-defining role, it's safe to say that Margot Robbie's current success was built on powerful performances like this one.