Margot Robbie Queen

Australian actress Margot Robbie says she had to be convinced to play Elizabeth I in the new film Mary Queen Of Scots, saying she was terrified of following in the footsteps of screen greats like Cate Blanchett.

Asked about taking the mantle from fellow Australian Blanchett, who played Elizabeth I twice in 1998 and 2007, Robbie told the she was more than a little nervous.

Mary

It took a lot of convincing from [director] Josie Rourke, because I was like, 'I am not able to take this on, I am not good enough'.

Is Margot Robbie Starring As Queen Elizabeth I In New Mary Queen Of Scots Movie?

She was like, 'No, no, no — this movie is different. They're young women, they're just young women. Just look at her as a woman, not a queen'. And that helped.

This new film tells the story of the fraught relationship between the cousins that pitted England and Scotland against each other in the 16th century.

While most film and stage adaptations of the history focus on the victor Elizabeth — who ultimately oversaw the execution of Mary — this version takes a different approach.

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It presents two complicated women who were thrust into positions of power at a young age and their struggle to hold onto it as predatory men circled their thrones.

The history books have just painted her out as this sort of silly young girl who just followed her heart and just wanted to fall in love with a man and didn't care for anything else, which just isn't true.

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Robbie and Ronan rarely appear on screen together in the film, and the actresses took the opportunity to try a rather unique approach to shooting it.

Margot Robbie As Queen Elizabeth I

We both agreed in the beginning that it would be better for us to stay apart. So we didn't rehearse together, Ronan said.

I had heard about actors doing it before where they stayed apart and never thought it was something that I'd want to do, but I felt with this it would be a fun experiment.

Margot

The production schedule meant Robbie was wrapping on her part in the film just as Ronan was starting, and they met for one of the few scenes they shared.

Margot Robbie Spied With Red Hair For Her Role As Queen Elizabeth I

We stayed apart up until the very moment you see on screen where I pull the sheet down and we see each other for the first time, Ronan said.

They had two cameras rolling on us simultaneously and we shot our reaction to Saoirse and Margot seeing each other and going, 'Oh my god, that's what you look like!'

Margot

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We both agreed in the beginning that it would be better for us to stay apart. So we didn't rehearse together, Ronan said.

I had heard about actors doing it before where they stayed apart and never thought it was something that I'd want to do, but I felt with this it would be a fun experiment.

Margot

The production schedule meant Robbie was wrapping on her part in the film just as Ronan was starting, and they met for one of the few scenes they shared.

Margot Robbie Spied With Red Hair For Her Role As Queen Elizabeth I

We stayed apart up until the very moment you see on screen where I pull the sheet down and we see each other for the first time, Ronan said.

They had two cameras rolling on us simultaneously and we shot our reaction to Saoirse and Margot seeing each other and going, 'Oh my god, that's what you look like!'

Margot

Casey turned to a mental health facility for help after her assault. She left in a worse state than when she arrived

Celebrity & Entertainment