86 ELLECANADA.COM
JUDGING BY THE SLEW of paparazzi and
curious onlookers waiting outside the five-star La
Réserve Hotel in Paris, a celebrity of significance
is inside the building. Granted, it is Haute Couture
Week, so photographers and camera crews are
ubiqu itou s a rou nd t he cit y, but i n t h i s c a se it w i l l b e
worth the wait. That’s because upstairs, ensconced
in a palatial 19th-century suite, sits Academy
Award-nominated actress Margot Robbie. The
29-year-old Australian has just been announced
as the face of Gabrielle Chanel Essence Eau de
Parfum and is here to share the news. Robbie, who
recently wrapped filming the Charlize Theron-
produced Fox News takedown movie (which is
yet to be titled), is the definition of “Hollywood
darling” if ever there was one: She’s smart, stylish,
elegant and multi-faceted. Which, come to think
of it, sounds a lot like Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.
Gabrielle Chanel was about pushing
boundaries and reinvention. How do you
identify with that notion?
“It was fascinating to learn that Gabrielle was [one
of ] the first people with a fashion brand to create a
fragrance—she was [one of ] the first to say scent
can complement or even enhance your style. Now
the two go hand in hand. But I just love that she
changed the game and the way things were done.”
She was fiercely independent. Has there ever
been a time in your career when you felt
a shift in your independence, or have you
always seen yourself that way?
“I never defined myself that way; my mom always
did. She says, ‘Ever since you were two years old,
you were so independent.’ I think it’s just a nice way
of saying I was a brat. [Laughs] But I definitely feel
far more independent now, like I am controlling
my destiny.”
Was running your own production company
[LuckyChap Entertainment; its projects
include I, Tonya and the upcoming Barbie]
always part of your plan as an actor, or was
it to have more control over your work?
“It is something that came over time, but I always
knew that I loved the entire process. As soon as I
stepped onto a set, I wanted to know what every-
one was doing—I wanted to know how they were
doing it, why they were doing it like that—not just
the acting side of it. In hindsight, it was probably
inevitable that I would move into different aspects
of the filmmaking process.”
Scent is so evocative of place and time.
What scents remind you of Australia?
“For me, there are three main ones. I used to pick
lavender when I was walking to school and put it
in a plait in my hair because someone told me it
helps you remember things. So I’d always go into
an exam with lavender in my hair. Frangipanis
are big on the Gold Coast. And we used to have
jasmine growing on the veranda, so that makes
me think of the house we lived in.”
Does scent inform how you approach a role?
“I pick a perfume for every character. [Suicide Squad
character] Harley Quinn’s perfume is super-cheap
and sickly sweet—like it will give you a headache if
you’re around it too much. And she douses herself in
it. She does not dab it on her wrist—it’s everywhere.
It’s the opposite of Chanel!”
You have your choice of so many projects,
between acting and partnerships like this
one with Chanel. What makes you say
yes to something?
“I’m going to sound like I’ve lived a long, full life,
but at the wise old age of 29, I’ve decided that
Golden GIRL
Margot Robbie on fragrance,
independence and stepping
into her destiny.