It seems like it could be awkward for an actor to run into someone they portrayed on screen, especially if that person is, well, let's say polarizing. However, things don't appear to be awkward at all between Margot Robbie and the real-life Tonya Harding. At the I, Tonya premiere last night, Robbie and Harding posed together on the red carpet and even shared some laughs and few hugs.
According to People, Robbie came to last night's premiere with her husband, producer Tom Ackerley, but he gladly stepped aside to allow Robbie to walk the red carpet with Harding, whom she portrays in the new film. Harding was famously implicated by association in the 1994 attack on Olympic teammate Nancy Kerrigan.
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Despite the actress's impressive level of fame — she was at the premiere of a movie she starred in, for goodness sake — Robbie still managed to become star struck by the ice skating legend. People reported that as the two women posed together, Robbie turned to her husband and simply uttered the word "Amazing!" in an excited, disbelieving tone.
In an October interview with W Magazine, Robbie spoke effusively about the experience of playing the Olympic athlete. Although Harding is seen as a controversial figure, after getting to know her story in a very intimate way, Robbie says she's "on her side 100 percent." She explained, "The more I became Tonya, the more I saw things from her point of view... I don’t think she did anything but be different from what the world wanted." The actress also told W that she misses the character, saying, "I’m still not done with her. I found it hard to shake her off." Perhaps Robbie will no longer have to miss Harding since it seems like the two women actually became friends at last night's premiere.
I, Tonya opens in theaters Friday, December 8.