Margot Robbie didn’t become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood by accident. Yes, she’s beautiful. Yes, she’s talented. But Hollywood is full of beautiful, talented people who never break through. What separates Robbie is something far less glamorous and far more powerful: relentless preparation.

For every role, Robbie works with a minimum of four different coaches. She studies constantly. She prepares obsessively. She practices with the discipline of an Olympic athlete training for competition.

Margot Robbie treats talent like the starting line, not the finish line.

1. Acting Coach

Robbie’s primary acting coach is Nancy Banks, whom she considers her secret weapon. They dive deep into scripts to ensure every acting choice is rooted in the character’s specific circumstances. Nothing is random. Every line, reaction, and movement has purpose behind it.

2. Dialect Coach

For every role, Robbie works with a dialect coach to master the character’s accent. She studies recordings and YouTube videos to perfect vowel placement and speech patterns. Most people would stop at close enough. Robbie keeps going until it feels authentic.

3. Movement Coach

Robbie also uses movement coaches to shape how a character physically exists in the world. For I, Tonya, she focused on how Tonya Harding’s body felt heavy off the ice, as if the weight of the world were pressing down on her shoulders.

4. Specialized Teachers

When a role requires a specific athletic or professional skill, Robbie undergoes intense preparation with experts.

• To play Tonya Harding, she trained on the ice for four hours a day, five days a week, for five months.
• For the film Focus, she worked with pickpocket to learn sleight of hand.

What Does This Have to do with Your Writing Career?

Everything. I am always surprised when I encounter writers who are uninterested in improving their craft. They don’t take classes, read books on writing, or work with a writing coach.

Instead, screenwriters become laser-focused on getting an agent, while novelists chase the latest marketing hack. Marketing cannot save weak writing. Representation won’t rescue an underdeveloped script.

Screenwriting coaches Audrey Knox and Carole Kirshner say regularly on LinkedIn that a good script is not good enough to get repped or hired. Your work must be better than good. Better than great. It must be exceptional.

So how can you be like Margot Robbie? What is the road to greatness for writers?

Always Be Writing

The more you write, the better your writing becomes. Period.

The more you write, the more books and scripts you have available to sell. Writing creates skill and inventory.

Always Be Learning

Learning craft and experimenting with new techniques helps you grow as a writer.

Take a class. Watch a video. Listen to a podcast. Read a book on storytelling. Study structure. Explore character development. Learn dialogue tricks. Test new approaches.

There is always another level. Always another tool for your creative toolbox.

​Here is a list of my favorite books and podcasts about writing.

Always Be Reading and Watching

Read books. Watch movies and television in your genre.

Writers sometimes forget this part and try to create in a vacuum. But storytelling is a living conversation. You need to know what audiences love, what creators are experimenting with, and what trends are emerging.

​Thrive on Feedback​

Think of feedback is the training montage.

The writers who improve the fastest are the ones willing to hear what isn’t working and then use that information.

Get Your Team

My writing coach Jeff Elkins says, “Writing is a team sport.”

Build your team. Surround yourself with smart, encouraging people who can support you and give honest feedback. Cultivate writer friendships. Work with me or another writing coach.

Because even Margot Robbie doesn’t do it alone.

Catch Up Corner

​Your Books Should be on Bookshop.org​

​The Ins and Outs of Writing True Stories​

Cheers,

Lindsey

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