The Hollywood movie novelty “Barbie” is quickly taking the world by storm! It is scary to imagine how many figure skating performances we can expect in the new season based on the famous film, because figure skaters are famous for following trends. Even last season, even before the release of Barbie on the big screens, the European champion Anastasia Gubanova acted in the image of the famous doll.
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Whether Barbimania will blanket figure skating with surprising power, we just have to find out. But it is already known that figure skating fell in love with the main star of the popular movie Margot Robbie.
Read about how this happened in the material “Championship”.
Margot played the most controversial American figure skater
Margot Robbie became intimately familiar with figure skating when she landed the lead role in the sports tragicomedy Tonya Against The World. The film tells the story of American figure skater Tonya Harding, who gained immense fame due to the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan shortly before the 1994 Olympics. Before filming the film, Robbie was unaware of this scandal: I was only four years old when it happened. Before reading the script, the actress did not know that the film would be based on true events. The fact that she will have to embody a true story within her framework inspired her a lot. Margo was eager to share her vision of Harding’s fate.
“The main thing that guides all of Tony’s actions is the thirst for warmth and love, which he did not receive from his mother. This thirst of hers found an outlet in the desire to gain recognition in figure skating at all costs. It seems to me that this was his version of the American dream, ”Margo shared in an interview with Kinopoisk.
Robbie was very imbued with Tony’s fate and was in no hurry to blame the skater for all the troubles. The actress believes that everything that happened to Harding is a consequence of her psychological trauma.
“Life with a mother who never let you feel love and affection, it seems to me, can have an even stronger and more lasting destructive effect on a person than physical violence. Physical abuse is horrendous. And the combination of both is just hell. I really see in many ways what happened in the aftermath of her relationship with her mother,” Robbie said.
More about the movie “Tonya against everyone”:
Harding did not know about the attack on his rival? Why you can not believe the movie “Tonya against everyone”
Before shooting the movie, Margot managed to talk to Tonya in person, it was very important to her.
“Reading the script, I was filled with genuine sympathy for her. I don’t think many, being in her shoes, can achieve in life what Tonya did. You can’t really call her weak. The most surprising thing for me was a personal meeting of her with her, when I saw in front of me a very soft and sweet woman. She even offered to help me with my training. Not to mention the fact that she supported us in every possible way during the filming.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how I would behave in his place. I don’t think it’s easy to accept the fact that a movie is being made about your life. Especially after all the accusations against him,” Margo told Ciudad de las Mujeres.
Margot Robbie as Tony Harding
Photo: Still from the film “Tonya against all”
Margo prepared for the role of Tony for four months and felt all the difficulties of figure skating.
Before filming Tony, Margot had never skated, but she was confident on skates. The fact is that Robbie is a huge fan of hockey, she was even a member of an amateur team. However, the actress admitted that hockey skating is very different from figure skating, so she actually had to start from scratch.
Trained by Margot Sarah Kawahara – choreographer Nancy Kerrigan. The actress admitted that without her she would never have coped with the role of a figure skater. Robbie trained five days a week for four months. During this time, the actress fully felt all the difficulties of figure skating. At first, the girl felt overwhelmed after the training, and she could hardly move normally. But then I tried and started to enjoy figure skating. Even the numerous injuries received on the ice did not make Margo regret accepting such a difficult role.
“I, of course, got a lot of bruises and bumps, plus the most terrible blisters in the world, and also a herniated disc in my neck… But it was worth it,” Robbie shared. The actress admitted that after the end of filming, she missed the ice for a long time.
Margot Robbie as Tony Harding
Photo: Still from the film “Tonya against all”
Margo performed most of the tricks herself, but of course it was impossible to reach the level of a real skater in four months of training. Therefore, it was impossible to do without the help of professional skaters. Margo was replaced by little-known athletes Anna Malkova and Heidi Munger, who shot the most difficult parts of Harding’s programs and performed vaults. The girls owned all the triple jumps, except for the axel.
So how was the famous trixel owned by Tonya recreated? The answer is simple: computer graphics. The filmmakers couldn’t find a figure skater who could perform a triple axel for the film, so they had to resort to trickery and add an extra twist to the stand-in gap. I wonder if the creators of “Tony” turned to our Liza Tuktamysheva? Something tells me she wouldn’t turn down such an experience!
By the way, Margot is aware of the power of our skaters, which she admitted in an interview with Kinopoisk.
“The best skaters have always been from Russia. My God, what was the name of that amazing pair of figure skaters, Russian champions? I don’t remember the names now, although I saw so many of their amazing performances…” Margot shared.
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After filming Tony, Robbie took a different look at figure skating. The actress, through her own experience, realized the hellish work behind this wonderful sport, and she was filled with respect for all skaters.
“Behind all the apparent ease that the athletes show on the ice, there is an enormous amount of work, countless injuries and falls and a fantastic goal desire,” said Margo.
