actress – Megan Monroes

12th August 2016

There’s Something About Margot.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that Margot Robbie is fast becoming the most sought after actress on the planet. I’ll admit, I’ve never watched Neighbours so I hadn’t heard of her Pre-Hollywood, but I’ve been following her career since the trailer for The Wolf of Wall Street came out sometime in 2013 and she is without doubt, my favourite modern actress.

Not only is Margot beyond stunning, but she’s an incredibly talented actress and even though she’s only made around 12 movies, she’s created such diversity with each role she has taken. Her performance as Harley Quinn in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016) has been applauded with critical praise and is already incredibly iconic. Not only do the public love Harley but the Margot herself has invested a lot into the character, with hope of producing a spin of movie for the character.

It’s hard to believe that Margot’s been acting for a decade now and at just 26 years old has achieved worldwide recognition, I decided to go through each of her movies that I’ve watched and give you little reviews:

Pan Am (2011)

Although not a movie, this was Margot’s first attempt to break Hollywood and she played one of the four leads in this TV Show. It centers around four women who work as fllight attendants for the iconic Pan Am Airways in the 1960s, so if you’re a fan of that era and the fashion then this is definitely worth watching. I personally really liked this program and although it’s sad that it only ran for one season, it definitely worked out in Margot’s favour!

About Time (2013)

This film is a really sweet Romantic Comedy starring Rachel McAdams, with Margot playing an early love interest of the leading man, Domhnall Gleeson’s character. Although only a supporting role Margot definitely stands out and makes the most of her part.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

This movie is without doubt Margot’s breakout role and the film that catapulted her into the Hollywood Limelight. Margot plays Naomi Lapaglia, Leonardo Dicaprio’s trophy wife and although she’s an absolute beauty to watch, she gives one hell of a performance. It’s hard to believe when watching Margot in this movie that she’s not the Brooklyn Duchess of Bayridge and is actually born and bread in Australia. Personally, I think Margot should have been nominated for a million awards for her portrayal but with Jennifer Lawrence being a bigger name at the time and playing a fairly similar role, I feel that may have worked against her. I have to say a huge thank you to Leonardo Dicaprio and Martin Scorsese for casting Margot in this movie, as a huge Leo fan this film is what brought her to my attention in the first place.

Suite Francaise (2014)

Margot has a very small but important role in this Michelle Williams World War Two drama. She plays a young English girl who receives a lot of male attention from the soldiers stationed in their village and has an affair with one of them. Although only in a few scenes and wearing unrecognizable in a brunette wig, Margot never fails to stand out and shows great emotion. I thought this film was incredible and even if Margot wasn’t in it I’d watch it over and over.

Z For Zachariah (2014)

This film is very different to the other films in Margot’s Filmography and therefore stands out as pretty special. It’s a science fiction drama were a huge disaster has wiped out the majority of humans and only Margot, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine are known to have survived, creating a love triangle between them. Margot famously dyed her signature blonde locks to brunette to play this character at the height of The Wolf of Wall Street’s release, showing how dedicated she is to her work.

Focus (2015)

Definitely one of my favourite Margot films, so much so that I actually saw this twice on the cinema last year! Margot and Will Smith have amazing chemistry and make a great team in the con artist world, so much so that you forget there’s a twenty plus age gap between the pair, not that it even matters really. This film is filled with glamour, intelligence and is full of twists, never leaving a dull moment. You really can’t lose Focus when watching this movie – see what I did there?

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

I absolutely adore the cast in this movie, Margot, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz and an amazingly ripped Alexander Skarsgard, what could be better? Obviously there’s not much need for me to explain the plot behind this movie being how iconic Tarzan is. I thought both the acting, scenery and CGI were amazing and I especially liked the flashbacks on how Tarzan and Jane met. I will definitely be buying this when it comes out on DVD.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Publicized as the movie of the summer, Suicide Squad has gained a lot of praise for its actors performances but a hell of a lot of criticism for the film itself. I personally loved the film, I agree with the majority of people that I would have loved more Joker and Harley scenes – sadly a lot of them were cut from the movie. However, people need to remember that this film is about the Suicide Squad itself and the mission they are trying to fulfill. Margot and Jared Leto were the stand out performances for me and I thought Will Smith and Jay Hernandez were wonderful too. It seems to me that all film critics do is complain and moan about movies, especially Marvel and DC. At the end of the day, I don’t even know why they are taken so seriously – it’s just an opinion after all so it shouldn’t influence your perception. I’ve noticed many people comparing the comics to the movies and Heath Ledger’s Joker to Jared Leto’s – all being completely different so what is the point? If you are a comic reader you’ll know that the film actually put a lot of subtle references in to plots or items from each characters backstory.

So there you have it, my Margot Robbie Filmography review! The only film I’ve not seen in her Hollywood Career is Whiskey Tango Foxtrot as it sadly didn’t get a big release. However, it comes out in DVD in September and I will definitely be buying it! What’s great about Margot is not only is she amazingly talented and beautiful, but she seems so humble and down to earth and such a sweet kind hearted person in general. She strives for strong female roles and gives her full commitment to each character and movie she’s involved in. Margot has achieved so much since she burst onto our screens as, “The Hottest Blonde Ever” in The Wolf of Wall Street and I can’t wait to see all the amazing success for her to come!

What’s your favourite Margot film?

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4th May 2015

Happy Birthday Audrey!

On this day, 4th May 1929, Audrey Kathleen Ruston blessed us with her presence on Earth.

As a lot of you Old Hollywood lovers will know, not only is the day May the 4th (be with you), but it is also Audrey Hepburn’s 86th birthday! Sadly, Audrey left us in January 1993 at just 63 but she is ever present in the 21st Century as she was in the 20th! When the average person thinks of Hollywood, two people usually pop into their minds; Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. Sometimes Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly will be included, but it’s usually these two faces that are the most recognized.

When I started learning about Marilyn, I naturally was intrigued into finding out about Old Hollywood and all the other stars and of course, I came to Audrey pretty quickly. It’s an obvious cliche, but I obviously related Audrey with Breakfast At Tiffanys – I hadn’t seen the film at this point, but it’s such an iconic image that I was aware of her stature and Holly Golightly singing Moon River out of her little window.

Ironically, author Truman Capote desperately wanted Marilyn for the starring role, but she declined as her coach Paula Strasberg didn’t want her name being associated with the role of a call girl. Therefore, it’s interesting to think of how many people would know Audrey if she hadn’t taken on her iconic role, I for one, think she would be just as loved and appreciated today. After all, Audrey Hepburn is so much more than a little black dress and a jewelry store! I love the film by the way, I’m just saying that people who only equate Audrey with this are missing out on such an incredible person.

Audrey Hepburn in The Nun's Story (1959) — *Audrey Hepburn in The Nun’s Story (1959)*

Four years on, I’ve got quite a few books on this lady and I’ve seen the majority of her films numerous times. I learnt what an incredible person Audrey was, how much she gave to others who needed support and care. She was so humble and never saw herself the way we all saw her, which in a way makes me love her more.

“I never thought I’d land in pictures with a face like mine.”

“I’ll never have an answer to what make mes special. I remember many years ago, my mother said to me, “considering that you have no talent, it’s really extraordinary where you’ve got.” And that’s what I really believe to this day. I’ve always been self-conscious about my interviews, about my thinness, my tallness, my unattractiveness. My success – it still bewilders me. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought that maybe I’d be a great star.”

For someone who suffered so much in life, she had numerous miscarriages, her father abandoned her family and she lived in Holland during World War Two and practically starved for years, as well as witnessing very traumatic experiences, she had so much love and hope in her heart and I think that’s incredibly inspiring.

Here’s my three favourite books that I would recommend on learning about lovely Audrey;

*Audrey Hepburn with her Best Actress Oscar for Roman Holiday on 25th March 1954.*

Although Audrey’s career spanned five decades, she only made twenty seven films. When she had her two children she wanted to devote as much time to being a mother as she could, which is understandable. During her last years she gave much of her time to Humanitarian Efforts in UNICEF helping thousands of children, even when she was battling the disease that would ultimately take her from us. She always put others before herself and had so much love to give to those who needed it most.

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

The best blog on Audrey in my opinion has to be the wonderful, hepburny and I suggest you go over there right after reading this post, her edits are simply incredible! As for films, out of all the movies I have seen of Audrey’s these would be my favourites;

I hope wherever you are Audrey, you know how much people adore you and appreciate the love and joy you spread during your 63 years. You never fail to bring tears to my eyes when I think of how much you went through, yet this never deterred your strength and passion to succeed in life and give to so many.

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23rd April 2015

Sharon Marie Tate.

Ah, Sharon, where to begin? The sixties beauty queen, the fashion setter, the determined starlet with a dream of love. These are many of the thoughts that pop into my head when I think of one of my favourite Old Hollywood Actresses. Sadly, the majority of society probably thinks of another thought – the tragedy of August 9th 1969. To many, Sharon is simply a tragic figure, a beautiful girl who was taken too soon in one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th Century. She has become entwined with an evil name, a despicable event and has gained somewhat of a cult status, but for the wrong reasons. However, as a lover of Old Hollywood, the Swingin’ Sixties and the iconic bombshells, she has become to mean a lot more to devoted fans, whose goal it is to celebrate the life of an incredible human being, who had so much more to give.

I thank Old Hollywood and ultimately, my lovely Marilyn for my discovery of Sharon. I started using Tumblr in August 2010 when I decided to make a Marilyn blog and since then, I created a personal Tumblr to share my other loves; mainly Old Hollywood. One day, I was scrolling through Tumblr as usual, looking through beautiful edits that so many kind users share with other fans and I stumbled across, Sharon. At first, I was in complete awe and thought to myself, who is this beautiful girl and why haven’t I came across her before? The blog I first saw Sharon on was named after her most popular film, Valley Of The Dolls however, I’d yet to link the two together.

Since finding Marilyn and learning so much about her, I’ve often been drawn to under appreciate and misunderstood beauties. I’ve researched and found out so much more behind the beautiful faces which sadly, many cannot see past. I’ve found their intelligence and talent is so often overlooked, simply because they are often deemed, “too pretty” to be anything else. However, these stars will always mean so much more to me.

I was so struck by this beautiful actress/model that I decided to IMDB her and find out what films she had been in, I wanted to learn more and appreciate her for more than a beautiful pin up. I looked at her birth date and seeing that it was 1943, realized she was a sixties actress, I was so excited – the 1960s being one of my favourite decades. I was already pretty knowledgeable on the 1940s and 1950s and was eager to continue past 1962. After seeing her birth date, I naturally was intrigued to see if she was still with us and what she was up to now, that’s when I saw August 9th 1969 and her age as 26 years old. I was shocked by this, I assumed her death would be tragic because of her age but, never was I expecting to see the word homicide.

I read her biography on IMDB and found out what had happened, I googled her and saw a picture of a man, a strange man and it scared me, I don’t google Sharon anymore, for obvious reasons. I told my mum what I’d read and started crying, hysterically crying, I felt so much emotion and I couldn’t control myself. After that I tried to put Sharon out of my mind, I thought to myself, I’m sure there are other lovely talented stars from the 1960s that I could learn about. However, I was still drawn to Sharon and my mum had bought me Valley Of The Dolls to watch, but I wasn’t ready to see her on film yet. I found an amazing blog on tumblr dedicated to Sharon’s memory called, lovesharontate and sharontate-polanski and my affection for Sharon continued to grow. I realized that I wasn’t the only one who had love for this beautiful human and noticed she had quite a following and for the right reasons, for the person she was, not for her untimely death.

I watched Valley Of The Dolls and learnt that her character, Jennifer North was inspired by Marilyn, I also learnt that Sharon herself was compared to Marilyn and that made me happy. Watching Sharon’s performance, I found her to be so breathtaking, she was such a natural in front of the camera and had such screen impact. Not only did I find her beauty to be astonishing, I really appreciated her talent as an actress. Her final scene in the film was so tragic and moving, I could definitely see why she was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Newcomer. Her style and look in the film was incredible and I was amazed to see that Marilyn’s friend and frequent Costume Designer, William Travilla had designed the costumes for the film! He said such wonderful things about Sharon, they always stick with me,

“Sharon Tate is divine, a real find. Just wait and see what happens when the critics and public see her in Valley of the Dolls. Sharon has everything Marilyn Monroe had and more. She has the fascinating, yet wholly feminine strength of a Dietrich or a Garbo….a classically beautiful face, an exciting figure, the kind of sex appeal and personality appeal to become as glittering a star as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor.”

It seems, no one in the industry had a bad word to say about Sharon and they clearly all adored her for her beautiful soul. After Valley Of The Dolls, I set out to watching the rest of her films. Although she’d only had the chance to make six, I was incredibly impressed to see the stars she had worked with in such a short space of time. David Niven, Kim Novak, Deborah Kerr, Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Susan Hayward, Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, Bruce Lee, Vittorio Gassman and of course, Roman Polanski. Not only was Sharon hailed as one of Hollywood’s Most Promising Newcomer’s, she was also considered to be one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, clearly it’s not hard to see why.

Pictured above is Sharon in her six motion pictures;

I enjoyed her other films thoroughly, I saw such diverse characters in only six films and it humbled me to read that Sharon didn’t think of herself as much of an actress. It seems to me, all of the best have very little arrogance about themselves and that just makes me love and appreciate them more.

I learnt about her marriage to one of the most famous Directors of our time, Roman Polanski and seeing them on film in The Fearless Vampire Killers was so heartwarming, as that’s where they fell in love with one another. I found Sharon’s official website, sharontate.net run by Debra Tate, Sharon’s wonderful sister. I was so excited to hear Debra was releasing a photographic appreciation on Sharon’s amazing life. As far as I’m aware, it was to be the first book dedicated solely in preserving her life and memory and about nothing else. The book is simply incredible, people seem to forget that Sharon was one of the most photographed women of her time, working with the likes of, Bert Stern, Philippe Halsman, Richard Avedon, Terry O’Neill and Milton Greene and appearing in huge fashion magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. Debra is so thoughtful, she’s always communicating with fans and I’ve had the pleasure to speak to her on Twitter myself. Apparently, she’s also writing another book, which is incredibly exciting!

I’ve now loved Sharon for the past couple of years and she has become one of my favourite stars, among Marilyn, Brigitte Bardot and Veronica Lake. I’ve learnt to put the awful events of August 9th 1969 out of my mind and not dwell on it or let it take over. The people and crime that took place don’t deserve any publicity and I will not give them it, that’s all I will say about the matter. For people who say Sharon is only famous for her death, I have nothing to say to them as they are missing out on such an incredible person and their ignorance is frankly offensive.

Not only do I adore Sharon as a person, but I also love her individuality and style, she is without doubt a fashion icon of the 1960s and I try and be inspired by her when I portray that style. Obviously, sometimes it is hard not to think of what happened to Sharon, when reading interviews about how much she was looking forward to the future, or seeing photos of her heavily pregnant, it is incredibly heartbreaking. But, I know Sharon wouldn’t want her fans to mourn for her death, she’d want us to appreciate what she gave to the world and remember incredible life through photos and films she gave to the world.

Sharon is more than just a Pin Up/Blonde Bombshell to me. She is a talented actress, a beautiful, giving soul who adored life and experiencing wonderful memories with her family and friends. She gave a lot to Hollywood in just four short years and it incredibly loved, just reading the quotes in Recollection, you can see how much of an impact she has left on the world.

“Ah, Sharon. The Word, “exquisite” perfectly sums up this lady. Almost otherworldly, so beautiful and sensitive, a truly gentle soul. But in no way wishy-washy, she was smart and not taken in by the shallowness of the industry. Well-grounded and natural, she was very much in tune with her life and really happy when I last saw her in London in 1969. She was such an innocent, and unspoiled by her success.” – George Harrison.

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