Revealed: The surprising role Margot Robbie missed out on in 2010 that could have changed her life – and which Aussie actress won it instead
Margot Robbie‘s career skyrocketed when she starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013.
And it turns out her big break in Hollywood came three years after she’d missed out on a role in one of Australia’s biggest dramas of 2010.
Margot, 29, had auditioned for the role of Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began, but the part went to Phoebe Tonkin instead.
Can’t win them all! Margot Robbie’s breakout performance in The Wolf of Wall Street came three years after she had missed out on a role in one of Australia’s biggest dramas of 2010
The cast also included Lincoln Lewis, Ashleigh Cummings, Andrew Ryan, Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Chris Pang and Deniz Akdeniz.
Losing out on the role didn’t hurt Margot’s career.
She went on to find success in Hollywood as an actress and producer, and has been nominated for two Oscars, in 2018 and 2020.
Missed out: Margot, 29, had auditioned for the role of Fiona Maxwell in Tomorrow, When the War Began, but the part went to Phoebe Tonkin instead. Pictured on May 2, 2010 in Melbourne
The Tomorrow, When the War Began cast and director Stuart Beattie reunited for a Zoom video chat on Tuesday to celebrate the film’s 10-year anniversary.
Andrew asked the director if anybody famous had auditioned for the movie.
‘Yeah, well, Margot Robbie. We auditioned her for Phoebe’s role,’ Stuart replied.
At the time, Margot had just finished working on Neighbours. Her last episode aired in January of that year.
Close call! Phoebe Tonkin (centre), whose TV credits also include The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries and Bloom, won the part of Fiona Maxwell
Instead of starring in the Australian film, Margot went to Los Angeles and was cast in the 2011 series Pan Am, which was cancelled after one season.
Her breakout role in The Wolf of Wall Street wouldn’t come until two years later.
Soon after the release of Tomorrow, When the War Began, Phoebe also moved to LA, where she landed a role in supernatural TV series The Secret Circle.
She went on to star in The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals, as well as Stan Original series Bloom.
Golden girl: Missing out on the role didn’t hurt Margot’s career. She went on to find success in Hollywood as an actress and producer and has been nominated for two Oscars. Pictured at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 9
Success story: Soon after the release of Tomorrow, When the War Began, Phoebe also moved to the U.S., where she continues to have a stellar career. Pictured in Hollywood on March 5