Since landing her breakthrough role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street, Australian actress Margot Robbie has become a bonafide Hollywood powerhouse. From Tonya Harding to Harley Quinn to Sharon Tate, her scene-stealing performances and dazzling range have garnered acclaim in indies and blockbusters alike.
In a Chanel interview on the books that made her, Robbie said, “I was a voracious reader when I was little, and I think I read for the escapism. The same reason I loved movies.” Early encounters with The Hobbit and Harry Potter got her hooked on books, and she later devoured autobiographies when researching for roles. She also noted the power of literature to speak to a specific time or place, and shared her penchant for stories that center female friendship.
From Nancy Drew to Mitch Albom, explore some of Margot Robbie’s favorite books below, and dive into the bookshelves of other iconic actors here.
Margot Robbie’s Reading List
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (also rec’d by Richard Branson)
“The first book I read was The Hobbit… I was 8 years old and in school, must have been Grade 3 or 4, and our teacher was reading out loud to the class. As soon as she started reading it, I was so hooked.” -MR
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (also rec’d by Phoebe Bridgers)
“I started reading it, and I got obviously obsessed.” -MR
The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
“I loved the Famous Five books, I read them like crazy.” -MR
The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton
Nancy Drew by
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (also rec’d by St. Vincent)
“Once I got [to the Running of the Bulls], this book became everything to me. It was like I’d stepped into a completely different world.” -MR
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (also rec’d by Bob Odenkirk, John Cusack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicholas Sparks & Shonda Rhimes)
Dune by Frank Herbert
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind (also rec’d by Michael. J. Fox)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
“Like a grown-up Harry Potter.” -MR
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
“This book means everything to me. I love it… I don’t know why, it’s just a really beautiful book.” -MR
Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth
“If you were in your early 20s, living in London as a girl in the last decade, then you should read this book. You’re going to feel so seen.” -MR
(via Chanel)