To portray the passionate and troubled Cathy in Wuthering Heights, Margot Robbie drew upon her own experiences as a teenager, accessing those familiar emotions to bring the character to life.
She described how her fluctuating hormones made her experience intense and rapidly changing emotions while preparing to play the love interest of Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s new film adaptation of the Emily Brontë novel. She explained that, when she was younger and hadn’t yet learned to manage her feelings, she felt emotions very strongly and they would quickly shift from one extreme to another.
Thirty-five-year-old Robbie still feels things intensely, particularly since becoming a mother, but she hasn’t felt the urge to impulsively run off on emotional adventures since she met Tom Ackerley thirteen years ago.
Australian actress Margot Robbie, speaking with TopMob News at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, described her partner, a British filmmaker and co-founder of LuckyChap Entertainment, as a key supporter in bringing the hit movie Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, to life. She shared that he prefers working behind the scenes and isn’t bothered by the attention surrounding the film.
He won over the woman who famously considered herself a dedicated single, and they had a son in October 2024, not long after the excitement surrounding the Barbenheimer movie awards died down.
Robbie admitted to Vogue in 2016 that she used to be completely turned off by the idea of relationships. But then, something changed with a longtime friend. She confessed she’d always been in love with him, but held back, thinking he didn’t feel the same way. She didn’t want to risk their friendship by telling him how she felt, fearing it would be awkward or ruin everything.
Nor did she push Ackerley around or take him for granted.
Robbie went on, ‘It just clicked. I realized, of course we belong together. It felt so right, more right than anything I’d ever experienced.’
Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley first connected in 2013 while working on the film Suite Française. Ackerley was a third assistant director, and Robbie had a role in the movie. They quickly became friends with each other and other members of the film crew. When Robbie returned to London early the next year to promote The Wolf of Wall Street, the group decided to move in together.
Oh my gosh, it’s just so cute how it all started! Apparently, Dom and Robbie were sharing this house in Clapham with a ton of people – five roommates total! – and that’s where they really clicked. Two of those guys, Kerr and McNamara, became super important later on – Kerr was Robbie’s childhood friend, and McNamara actually worked on Suite Française as a second assistant director. But it was in that chaotic house with all those people that Dom and Robbie’s friendship just… blossomed into something more. I’ve read everything about their early days, and it’s just adorable!
Robbie explained to The Guardian that they initially kept it quiet because they didn’t think it was a big deal at the time.
But since they were meant to be, they eventually had to come clean to their housemates.
Robbie remembered people being very upset, thinking something would destroy their group. But in the end, it wasn’t a problem at all; everything turned out okay.
Plus, LuckyChap—the company name reportedly came about when the actress and her cofounders, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr, were joking around while drinking—quickly became successful, prompting the team to relocate to Los Angeles in November 2016.
A month after getting engaged, Robbie and Ackerley secretly flew to Australia and got married on the beach in Byron Bay. They hadn’t announced their engagement publicly, but a photo eventually surfaced – Robbie, who doesn’t use social media, was photographed kissing her groom and showing off her wedding ring, confirming the news.
And then, the newlyweds were kicked out of the fold.
Our roommates basically told us that getting married meant we needed to start living independently,” Robbie explained to The Guardian. “It hadn’t even crossed our minds. We were surprised – like, ‘Wait, just the two of us?’ It felt strange at first. It was nice, but we really missed having lots of people around all the time.
As she revealed in an interview with Vogue in the summer of 2019, Margot Robbie was living with her older brother, a cousin, and her husband, Tom Ackerley, at the time.
“It’s a common theme, isn’t it?” Robbie noted. “I hate—hate—being alone.”
She’s also comfortable in tight spaces. After finishing the movie Barbie in 2022, she and Ackerley traveled by the British Pullman train from London and then spent a night on the Orient Express, going from Paris to Venice. More recently, during a trip to Japan, they enjoyed a ride on the luxurious Seven Stars train, which traveled across the island of Kyushu.
“All I want to do,” Robbie explained to Vogue, “is live on a train.”
Food is a huge part of their connection. I mean, they’ll go to incredible lengths for a good meal – like waiting three and a half hours for udon carbonara in Tokyo! And honestly, she’s not much of a cook, so they’re always finding exciting places to eat, both when they travel and just around town.
Robbie shared on the Table Manners podcast in February that her husband is an incredible cook – truly talented enough to be a professional chef. She described them as a perfect pairing.
She didn’t marry him because he was a good cook – she actually didn’t discover his culinary talents until after they were married.
He’s an incredible cook! He’ll spend two whole days perfecting his spaghetti bolognese, and his fried rice with Korean short ribs takes three days to make. Plus, he cooks steak even better than any restaurant I’ve tried.
Robbie jokingly recalled a Christmas dinner in the U.K. where she accidentally served her in-laws ham that wasn’t fully cooked, highlighting her self-described lack of cooking skills.
The actress remembered a scary moment with her boyfriend’s grandmother. She said the grandma almost ate a piece of raw pork, which could have been dangerous, so she quickly slapped it out of her hand to stop her.
Robbie genuinely enjoys spending time with Ackerley and is skilled at combining their work with social activities.
In 2018, she told Porter that she strongly believes in supporting her husband’s career. She also shared how much she enjoys being married, saying it’s brought a lot more joy to her life. She feels a sense of duty as a wife and is motivated to continually improve herself.
Robbie also shared with Vogue Australia that they and their partner are still close, remaining best friends and roommates, meaning things haven’t really changed between them.
She also had a pear-shaped diamond ring, but only wore it on weekends. As she explained, ‘I can’t wear it to work – I’d be afraid of losing it on set.’
Robbie and Ackerley try not to spend more than three weeks apart. They’ll even meet briefly in a neutral location – flying to a country for just one night if needed – before returning to work. They also make sure to talk on the phone all day, every day, to stay connected.
Not to mention, communication is key when you’re making history together.
After choosing the long-planned Barbie movie as a great fit for her production company, LuckyChap, Margot Robbie asked Greta Gerwig to write the screenplay in 2018.
She and Ackerley were immediately blown away by the screenplay written by Gerwig and her husband, Noah Baumbach, starting with the very first page.
Robbie recounted to Vogue that when they first saw the finished concept for Barbie, they were both completely shocked. “We just looked at each other, terrified,” she said. “I think the first thing I said to Tom was, ‘This is brilliant, but we’re probably never going to get this movie made.'”
But they were determined to make it happen.
Robbie told the New York Times that they visited Mattel’s headquarters, toured the factories, observed the doll-making process, and spoke with the workers. He emphasized that Mattel understood they approached the visit with genuine respect for the brand.
She and Ackerley spent a lot of time talking with Mattel executives, who carefully reviewed Gerwig’s script, making sure the doll’s complex image was portrayed correctly.
Ackerley actively produced the show, but he was comfortable with Robbie taking the lead and being the public face of Barbie in multiple aspects.
At the London premiere of the film, producer Ackerley joked to The Upcoming that the marketing campaign was so extensive it could be the subject of a doctoral dissertation. He was with fellow producer David Heyman as Margot Robbie was the center of attention. Ackerley also praised the pairing of his wife, Margot Robbie, and Ryan Gosling, calling them a “great combination” as Barbie and Ken.
Robbie described her husband as generally outgoing and cheerful, but noted that he prefers to stay out of the spotlight, preferring to work behind the scenes, as she told Vogue in 2019.
She explained that this arrangement benefits everyone involved. By constantly discussing work, it doesn’t feel like a chore – it actually becomes enjoyable, and enjoyable activities can naturally include work.
“We just get along,” she added. “I think it’s crazy that not all couples get along.”
She’s still eager to praise her husband, but Robbie has been much more private about their son, and they’ve chosen not to reveal his name publicly.
She explained to British Vogue that she’s deliberately keeping details about her son’s life private to protect him. She used to be more open in interviews earlier in her career, but she’s learned from past experiences where her words were twisted or falsely attributed to her. She often sees misquotes and fabricated statements presented as if she’d actually said them.
As you get older, moving from your twenties into your thirties and beyond, you often start to think, ‘I want to live life differently, and I’m going to set some limits.’
That being said, Robbie told Entertainment Tonight last August that motherhood was “the best.”
If you needed any extra encouragement to consider tying the knot with your roommate, here’s the complete story of how Robbie and Ackerley went from friends to partners.
Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley met while filming Suite Française and later started a production company together called LuckyChap Entertainment. They teamed up with friends Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr to launch the company.
The business partners shared a three-bedroom house in Clapham, London, with five other people.
The actress and the third assistant director, who lived together, developed a romantic relationship after starting as friends.
She explained in a 2018 interview with Elle that they initially kept their relationship quiet because they didn’t think it would become serious. They told themselves, ‘It’s no big deal, we’re just friends,’ but eventually, the news got out.
The couple confirmed their romance during a PDA-outing to a New York Rangers game in February 2015.
Robbie admitted she had always been in love with Ackerley, and at first believed he didn’t feel the same way. She considered him to be very attractive.
She described herself as fiercely independent and said she used to be completely turned off by the thought of being in a relationship. But then, unexpectedly, she fell for a longtime friend. ‘I’d always been in love with him, but I convinced myself he didn’t feel the same way and that I shouldn’t risk ruining our friendship,’ she told Vogue. ‘When we finally got together, it just clicked. It felt so right, more so than anything ever had before.’
The longtime couple tied the knot during a private ceremony in Australia’s Byron Bay.
Robbie playfully hinted at her wedding with a t-shirt that said “Say I Do Down Under,” and then confirmed the news by showing off her wedding ring.
The producers of the Oscar-winning film I, Tonya put off their honeymoon to finish making the movie.
Robbie shared with Extra that they chose to film a movie instead of going on their honeymoon. He admitted there were moments, like sitting in a freezing car in Atlanta, when they questioned their decision, wondering why they weren’t relaxing on a beach as newlyweds. Ultimately, they reminded themselves they were pursuing a dream.
Oh my gosh, I was living for it when Ackerley showed up with Robbie at the Barbie premiere! And Robbie? She looked absolutely incredible – her outfit was a total throwback to the ‘Solo in the Spotlight’ Barbie from 1961, it was perfection! But the best part? Ackerley didn’t just show up, they were inseparable throughout the entire press tour. Seriously, they were glued to each other, and I was tracking every single appearance! It was everything!
After a busy few months promoting Barbie, the couple finally took a vacation together and were seen sharing a romantic kiss in the ocean off Greece.
Although they generally prefer to keep their relationship private, Robbie recently spoke fondly of her husband, calling him a ‘normal’ guy at the 2024 Critic’s Choice Awards.
Robbie shared with TopMob News’ Keltie Knight on the red carpet how fortunate he feels. He explained that his partner prefers working behind the scenes and isn’t bothered by the attention.
Ackerley went to the Academy Awards as a nominee for the first time, and Robbie, a three-time Oscar nominee, was there with him.
He told A Frame that it’s incredible. While it can be really overwhelming, it’s a fantastic celebration of movies, and being a part of it all is a dream come true.
Barbie received eight nominations in total, including Best Picture.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following this lovely couple’s journey, and it’s so exciting to share that they became parents! After revealing they were expecting back in July, news broke in November that they welcomed a healthy baby boy. They’re keeping the little one’s name private for now, which is perfectly understandable – enjoying these first moments is what truly matters.
Read More
- Best Controller Settings for ARC Raiders
- Stephen Colbert Jokes This Could Be Next Job After Late Show Canceled
- DCU Nightwing Contender Addresses Casting Rumors & Reveals His Other Dream DC Role [Exclusive]
- 10 X-Men Batman Could Beat (Ranked By How Hard It’d Be)
- 7 Home Alone Moments That Still Make No Sense (And #2 Is a Plot Hole)
- Is XRP ETF the New Stock Market Rockstar? Find Out Why Everyone’s Obsessed!
- JRR Tolkien Once Confirmed Lord of the Rings’ 2 Best Scenes (& He’s Right)
- Why Juliana Pasquarosa, Grant Ellis and More Bachelor Duos Have Split
- 10 Most Brutal Acts Of Revenge In Anime History
- James Gunn & Zack Snyder’s $102 Million Remake Arrives Soon on Netflix
2026-02-13 11:18