The overall theme of this year's Oscar movies is that it's pretty lonely at the top! That's certainly the message from A Star is Born and in the upcoming Yorgos Lanthimos film The Favourite. Now we can add to that list Mary Queen of Scots, the biopic about Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth's brief tenure as co-leaders of England. Margot Robbie, who plays Elizabeth in the movie, says that while making the movie, she was lonely. "It was very alienating," she told Harper's Bazaar of her experience shooting the movie. "And I felt very lonely. It was an interesting social experiment."
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When she was in full makeup, she said, the cast and the crew of the movie would barely look at her. The makeup, by the way, took three hours to complete. Robbie looks utterly different in the film, so much so that the first few photos from set (paparazzi pics) quickly became social media darlings. Elizabeth, the historical figure, was scarred from a childhood bout of smallpox, and Robbie had to put on a bald cap every morning to mimic her look. As a result, she was ostracized on set.
This is unfortunate for Robbie, but likely good for the movie, which is a dark tale about two cousins pitted against one another for England's throne. Saoirse Ronan plays Mary, the reigning Queen, in the film, and the two only filmed one scene together for the movie.
No word yet from Ronan on whether or not she was lonely in the movie — although, given the historical events the movie is mapping, she surely was.
Watch the trailer for Mary Queen of Scots below.
This story has been updated.