How does Margot Robbie turn on the waterworks when preparing for a big scene?
“I can even just hear the theme music of ‘Titanic,’ and I’ll be bawling,” Robbie said in a yet-to-be-released episode of the “Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast,” premiering Nov. 26. “And so that’s what I do on set if I need to cry in a scene.”
On one particular occasion, her method led to a “surreal” experience.
“On ‘Wolf of Wall Street,’ there was the big, crazy scene after I ask for a divorce and stuff. And Kate Winslet came to visit set, to visit Leo [DiCaprio] that day,” Robbie said. “I was in the room next to them, listening to the ‘Titanic’ soundtrack trying to stay in sad, teary mode. And then I saw Kate Winslet and Leo walk past. It was very surreal.”
DiCaprio and Winslet co-starred in James Cameron’s 1997 romantic epic, which went on to win 11 Oscars, including for best picture, best actress for Winslet and best original song for the theme “My Heart Will Go On,” as performed by Celine Dion.
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Robbie elaborated on her acting process on the podcast from “Turner Classic Movies” host Ben Mankiewicz and Warner Bros. Discovery. The show has been renewed for a second season focused on comedy, with upcoming guests also including Bill Murray, Carol Burnett, Jane Lynch and J.B. Smoove, Variety can reveal exclusively. The 45-minute episodes feature “some of Hollywood’s most revered filmmakers” engaging in “intimate conversations about the movies that shaped their lives and craft.” Season 2 of “Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast” launched Nov. 12 with an interview with Murray.
“In his memoir, Groucho Marx took the famous line ‘Dying is easy; comedy is hard’ and ran with it. ‘All first-rate comedians who have played dramatic roles,’ wrote Marx, ‘are almost unanimous in saying that compared to being funny, dramatic acting is like a two-week vacation in the country,’” said host Mankiewicz in a statement. “At ‘Talking Pictures,’ we agree. This year, I’m sitting down with some of the top comedy actors of their generation to talk about the movies that helped make them. From Bill Murray and Carol Burnett to Jane Lynch and J.B. Smoove, we’ll dig deep on the films that make them laugh, cry, and return to again and again. Plus, we’ll feature some surprises. Like what movie gave Margot Robbie the confidence to write Quentin Tarantino a letter asking to work with him.”