Long before Margot Robbie became one of Hollywood’s most influential and bankable stars, she encountered a moment that quietly underscored the unspoken pressures faced by many young actresses in the film industry. In a recent interview with Charli XCX forComplex, Robbie revisited an uncomfortable early-career incident involving a male co-star who handed her a copy ofFrench Women Don’t Get Fat— unprompted.
The gesture, she explained, felt less like a thoughtful gift and more like a pointed message. “Very, very early in my career, an actor I worked with — a male actor — gave me a book calledFrench Women Don’t Get Fat, and it was essentially a book telling you to eat less,” Robbie said. “And I was like, ‘Whoa, f**k you, dude.’”
She added that the implication was unmistakable: the book was meant to suggest she should lose weight. Robbie chose not to name the actor or the project involved, noting that she has “no idea where he would even be now.”
First published in 2004, Mireille Guiliano’sFrench Women Don’t Get Fatfocuses on moderation and lifestyle-based eating habits. While widely read, Robbie’s recollection highlights how conversations around body image in Hollywood can often be unsolicited, deeply personal, and shaped by industry standards of appearance.
Despite such early experiences, Robbie has built a powerful career defined by versatility and critical acclaim. FromThe Wolf of Wall StreetandSuicide SquadtoI, Tonya,Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,Bombshell,Babylon, and the global phenomenonBarbie, she has consistently expanded her range as both actor and producer. She has earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture as a producer forBarbie.
Robbie is next set to appear opposite Jacob Elordi in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation ofWuthering Heights, continuing a career that has moved far beyond the pressures of its early days.
