Margot Robbie disclosed receiving an outrageous gift from a male costar early in her acting career during an interview coinciding with the release of her new adaptation of Wuthering Heights. The book she was given left her disturbed, as it implied she should change her eating habits.
In a video conversation with singer-songwriter Charli XCX, who contributed original music to the Emerald Fennell-directed film, Robbie revealed the gift was a copy of Why French Women Don’t Get Fat, a book published in 2007 by Mireille Guiliano. She described the gift as a thinly veiled message telling her to eat less.
The Book and the Unspoken Message Behind It
Robbie, 35, recounted how the male actor’s gift made her feel.
“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,”
she said. She quickly added,
“It was essentially a book telling you to eat less,”
emphasizing the underlying meaning she perceived.
Her reaction to receiving such a gift was one of clear offence. Robbie recalled,
“I was like, Whoa, f*** you, dude,”
demonstrating the shock and frustration she felt at being sent that message in such a manner.
Clarifying the Timeline and Identity of the Costar
Robbie noted that this incident happened “really back in the day,” well before her rise to major Hollywood stardom. She downplayed the likelihood of the actor being a high-profile A-lister, stating she had
“no idea where he would even be now.”
Charli XCX humorously responded directly to the camera, joking, “Your career’s over, babe,” after Robbie’s comment, highlighting the tension and awkwardness that the gift represented.
Robbie reiterated the intent behind the gift, explaining,
“He essentially gave me a book to let me know that I should lose weight. I was like, Wow.”
This underlined her clear disapproval of the unsolicited and personal nature of the gift.
Margot Robbie’s Career Before and After the Incident
The book’s 2007 publication date corresponds with Robbie’s period of work in Australian television before breaking into Hollywood. Her early prominence stemmed from her long tenure on the soap opera Neighbors, where she appeared as Donna Freedman in over 350 episodes between 2008 and 2011.
She also had guest roles on shows like City Homicide and Review With Myles Barlow around 2008 but her transition to film came with a major role in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Since that breakthrough, Robbie has worked primarily with well-known actors, which supports her statement that the man who gave her the book was likely not someone who later achieved widespread fame.
Current Work and Controversies Around ‘Wuthering Heights’
Robbie’s most recent project is a new version of Emily Brontë’s classic novel Wuthering Heights, directed and written by Emerald Fennell. She stars opposite Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in this reinterpretation.
The film has sparked discussion and mixed reviews, as Fennell’s adaptation takes bold liberties to reshape the story into a more traditional romance, which some critics and fans have found divisive.
Jacob Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff has also generated controversy, with some fans criticizing the choice, arguing that Heathcliff’s character was originally intended to be non-white. Scholarly opinion varies on the subject, reflecting 19th-century English social norms that complicate a firm conclusion on the character’s ethnicity.
Additionally, the film faced backlash before its February 13 release for casting actors of color in roles depicting morally complex characters, contributing to heightened debate over its thematic and casting decisions.
Implications of Robbie’s Experience and the Film’s Reception
Robbie’s candid revelation about the unsettling gift highlights ongoing issues in the entertainment industry related to body image and gender dynamics. Such experiences underscore the pressures faced by actresses and the sometimes inappropriate behaviors exhibited by colleagues early in careers.
The polarized reaction to the new Wuthering Heights adaptation further emphasizes how reinterpretations of classic literary works continue to inspire intense dialogue on race, representation, and adaptation choices in modern film.
As Margot Robbie’s career continues to evolve with challenging roles, her openness about past experiences and involvement in controversial projects indicates a willingness to engage with complex narratives and the cultural conversations they provoke.
