What are Margot Robbie's favorite books?

Margot Robbie was a voracious reader as a child. J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' was the first book she read at the age of eight when she went to school. Her teacher started reading it to the class and Margot was so fascinated that when the teacher stopped to start another lesson, she could not resist going home and continuing to read the book with her sister's copy.

Her passion for fantasy stories continued when she went on holiday with her family. Without TV she discovered a book called 'Harry Potter' which captivated her. The series became her favourite and she admits to reading each book at least 20 times; they help her relax.

In her childhood, she often read on the roof or in a tree. Living in Queensland in a not-so-large house with four other people, reading was a way for her to escape from the others. Now, when she wants to read, she just goes to the reading nook in her Los Angeles home, which she shares with her husband Tom Ackerley. Since she reads a lot of scripts for her work, she admits in an interview that she now finds it difficult to read a book without looking at it from a practical point of view. She also reads many autobiographies to better portray the characters she has to play. Let us take a look at the books that have shaped her life.

'Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway (1926)

It is one of her all-time favourite books. She associates it with her backpacking trip to Spain at the age of 18 during the running of the bulls. The novel is highly autobiographical, portraying a cosmopolitan group of young emigrants and their turbulent existential and emotional struggles. In sleepless nights spent discussing and drinking in the cafés of Montparnasse or in the arenas of Pamplona, the characters search for ever stronger emotions to numb themselves and distance themselves from the impending emptiness.

"I remember I had started it before I left. Obviously I was too young and not ready to appreciate Hemingway, but once I was there, this book became everything to me. It was like I was immersed in a completely different world." - Margot Robbie

Killing a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (1960)

In a sleepy town in the Deep South of the United States, lawyer Atticus Finch is hired to defend an African-American man who is falsely accused of raping a white girl. He succeeds in proving the man's innocence, but he is sentenced to death anyway.

"It was one of the few books I read at school that I really liked. My dog's name is Boo Radley, one of the characters in the book" - Margot Robbie

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders - Curt Gentry and Vincent Bugliosi (1974)

The story of Charles Manson is perhaps the most famous case of satanic murder of all time. On 9 August 1969, one of the most famous models of the time, Sharon Tate, who was pregnant with her husband Roman Polansky, was murdered in Hollywood. In this book, Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Manson trial, describes the entire course of the investigation that led to the conviction of Charles Manson, making it the best-known and best-selling true crime book of all time. In an interview on the occasion of the release of 'Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood' - the film in which she plays Sharon Tate - Margot Robbie reveals that she read 'Helter Skelter' with her actor boyfriend Rhys Wakefield while driving through Cielo Drive in the middle of the night.

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls - Peter Biskind (1998)

When 'Easy Rider', the low-budget film about bikers, shocked Hollywood with its success in 1969, a new era in Hollywood began. It was an era in which talented young directors like Scorsese, Coppola and Spielberg, along with a new generation of actors like De Niro, Pacino and Nicholson, became powerful figures capable of creating modern cinema classics like 'The Godfather', 'Chinatown', 'Taxi Driver' and 'Jaws' This book reconstructs the wild world of 1970s Hollywood: a bold celebration of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll (both on and off screen) and an environment where innovation and experimentation were paramount. The golden age of Hollywood is told through hundreds of interviews with directors, producers, agents, screenwriters and the private lives of the stars.

"From 1969, when 'Easy Rider' came out, there was a marked difference. What it did and how it changed that era of cinema had an impact on all my favourite films. This book is great for discussing that." - Margot Robbie

The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom (2003)

Eddie, old and alone, has lived a life like many others. On his eighty-third birthday, at the amusement park where he works, a little girl gets trapped in the big Ferris wheel and threatens to fall. Eddie climbs up to help her, but he slips, falls and dies. He wakes up in heaven and learns that each of us will meet five people in paradise who will reveal the meaning of our lives. As Eddie listens to the stories of the five teachers (one of whom is his wife Marguerite, who died many years ago), he sees his past in a new light and understands that even his humble existence played a necessary role in the order of things.

"I adore this book. It was very different, touching and sincere. It made me think. It's a quick read and highly recommended as a holiday read." - Margot Robbie

The Magicians - Lev Grossman (2009)

Quentin Coldwater is seventeen, has a brilliant mind and too many fears. One day he is chosen by the prestigious Brakebills University of Magic, hidden by a spell on the banks of the Hudson. At Brakebills, magic is taken seriously, and amidst magic lessons, exciting competitions, first loves and new friendships.

"It's like a grown-up version of Harry Potter." - Margot Robbie

Animals - Emma Jane Unsworth (2014)

This book tells the story of an unconventional love triangle. Laura and Tyler are best friends and drinking buddies. But things change when Laura starts dating Tyler's nightmare husband. Can their friendship survive? Or will their growth mean separation? She liked this book because she read it at the right time:

"If you are in your 20s right now and living in London, you should read this book. You will feel so understood." - Margot Robbie.