Margot Robbie Dishes on Workout Advice From Tonya Harding and Taking on the ‘Scary’ Role (Exclusive)

Turns out, playing one of the most controversial athletes in the world isn’t an easy task! Margot Robbie spoke with ET at the NYC premiere of her highly anticipated film I, Tonya, where she got candid about stepping into Tonya Harding’s ice skates.

“It’s scary playing a real life person especially when that person is still very much alive,” Robbie, 27, told ET. “Everyone has a recollection of what they think happened, and it’s kind of fun and interesting to show a different side of that story and maybe a side to Tonya that people weren’t expecting to see.”

To help get in shape for the role, Robbie spoke with the real Harding, who gave her some core advice. 

“I was like, ‘I've been working on my legs. I’m trying to get stronger in my legs.’ She’s like, ‘Forget that, worry about your core strength.’ I was like, ‘OK, I'll do more sit ups,’” Robbie recalled, adding that she did at least 100 sit ups a day.

They paid off as the role was very physical both on and off the ice.

“It’s amazing having a costar like Sebastian [Stan], someone you have complete trust with,” she said. “Same with Allison [Janney]. We had a lot of physical scenes and Craig [Gillespie], our director, really created a safe place on set.”

Janney recently gushed to ET about Robbie and her performance at the 2017 Hollywood Film Awards. Watch the exclusive interview below!

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