Margot Robbie had a blockbuster 2023 thanks to her hit film Barbie, which she starred in and also co-produced.
Her performance was so nuanced that she was selected by W magazine as a standout.
The blonde beauty from Australia got her own cover, as did other 2023 notables including her Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman and Zac Efron, among others.
In her extensive interview, she talked about how she was in a Hooters commercial at a young age, always cried at The Notebook and was in love with Aragorn from The Lord Of The Rings.
Her Barbie costar Gosling also opened up about working on Barbie with Robbie when he revealed he brought a special prop for one of their scenes.
Margot Robbie had a blockbuster 2023 thanks to her hit film Barbie, which she starred in and also co-produced. Her performance was so nuanced that she was selected as a standout by W magazine
She also talked about working with Gosling on Barbie. “Ryan always had these tricks up his sleeve, all these things he was going to do. He would overwhelm me with them. The double-sunglasses thing [when Ken wears two pairs of sunglasses for “boys night”] was his idea. Seen in July
She started the interview with a look back at the beginning of her career.
“I've done a couple of unpaid commercials, I was in the background of a Hooters commercial,” the Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood star noted.
“At the end of the day, the manager at Hooters came up to me and offered me a job. I said, 'I think I'm going to wish for more.'”
She also talked about working with Gosling on Barbie.
“Ryan always had these tricks up his sleeve, all these things he was going to do. He would overwhelm me with them. The double-sunglasses thing [when Ken wears two pairs of sunglasses for “boys night”] was his idea.
“That was just a random shot and it made the movie. And shouted: “Sublime!” on a certain moment. It was like I was always sitting in the front row to be entertained.”
And one of her favorite films stars Gosling.
“I would never not cry in The Notebook. It doesn't matter how many times I see it. I'm amazed. In fact, I'll stop halfway through, before it gets to the sad stuff. I'd rather watch the first half fifty times.'
She then mentioned her “cinematic crush.”
Robbie's Barbie costar Gosling also spoke about working on Barbie with Robbie when he revealed he brought a special prop for one of their scenes
His first scene with Robbie was on a boat: 'When Barbie and Ken travel to the real world. “I brought a seagull prop to set up. I asked someone to film it, but I didn't tell Margot.'
'There have been many, many over the years, but the one that comes to mind is Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, played by Viggo Mortensen.'
And yes, Gosling's name does come up again: 'Although one of my favorite performances that Ryan Gosling has done is Young Hercules [Laughs]for nostalgic reasons.'
Gosling also got a cover for Barbie.
His first impression of the film: 'It was the title page of the script, which said 'Barbie and Ken', but 'and Ken' was crossed out.
'And the next impression was: this is the hardest part I will ever play.
'How do you approach playing a 70-year-old doll without a crotch? You can't do research into that. There is no one to shadow, no documentaries to watch, no books written about Ken. You are on your own.'
His first scene with Robbie was on a boat: 'When Barbie and Ken travel to the real world.
Natalie Portman was recognized for May December, the drama that Portman co-produced and in which she stars. She plays Elizabeth – a commercially successful but creatively frustrated actor stuck in a network procedural.
“I brought a prop to put up. I asked someone to puppeteer it in the recording, but I didn't tell Margot. Ninety percent of the actors I've worked with would go [very sarcastically], 'You brought a seagull. Great.” But Margot was open to the seagull puppet show.'
Natalie Portman was recognized for May December, the drama that Portman co-produced and stars in.
She plays Elizabeth, a commercially successful but creatively frustrated actor stuck in a network procedural.
Elizabeth decides to make an independent film inspired by an infamous tabloid story loosely inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau case. To prepare for the role, Elizabeth settles into Gracie's house.
It earned her a Golden Globe nod for best actress.
'Working with someone as brilliant as Jules was the happiest thing I've ever done. I was such a big fan that it was very scary, but also fortunate that my character was studying what she was doing,” Natalie said.
“All I wanted to do was watch what Julie was doing and copy it, and I had to do that. It was fun to push each other in these scenes where I could do all these nasty things. And as soon as they said 'Cut,' we could laugh and talk about our kids together.”
Zac Efron got his cover for his latest athletic turn as real-life professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich in A24's The Iron Claw
She also shared her first red carpet outfit was a Betsey Johnson's black dress worn to a bat mitzvah.
'My mother gave me a faux fur jacket with a cow print to wear over it. White with black. And I brushed my hair back – the wet look. It was very '90s.”
And she said her first kiss was at summer camp, “on a dare.” It was a theater camp, so the next year he came out.”
Zac Efron got his cover his final athletic turn as real-life professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich in A24's The Iron Claw.
Directed by Sean Durkin and starring Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allen White, the film follows the remarkable story of the family dynasty known for their signature “iron claw” move in the ring and for what would become known as the tragic 'Von Erich curse.
Julianne Moore also stars in the film May December
Jodie Foster on the left and Greta Lee on the right
Nicolas Cage
Colman Domingo
Robert Downey Jr
“Growing up, I wasn't allowed to watch wrestling. My parents didn't like it because my brother and I would start wrestling. But we got it. The Iron Claw is about the Von Erich family. These guys completely changed the world of wrestling,” Zac said.
And his background as a dancer helped him.
Dancing and wrestling are surprisingly similar. There's a choreographed element to both, and the more you do it, the better you get. And also just the feeling that you are moving with a partner: sometimes you are in charge, and sometimes you hold the other person. The learning curve for wrestling is that you just go for it. For things like climbing the ropes and jumping off, you just have to keep your courage and go for it. There's no real practice.”
He also shared that he was “pretty beat up, but you feel like a warrior. It's kind of fun.'
And his cinematic crush was Tia Carrere from Wayne's World. 'I loved her. She just seemed like a rock star,” he said.