Margot Robbie on the “ridiculous” amount of coke in ‘Babylon’

Margot Robbie on how she gave notes to Damien Chazelle regarding the “ridiculous” amount of coke in Babylon.

Margot Robbie, who stars in the new film Babylon, directed by Damien Chazelle, has revealed that the film used a variety of substances to replicate the large amounts of cocaine seen on screen. The period comedy-drama film, which charts the rise and fall of multiple characters during Hollywood’s transition from silent films to “talkies” in the late 1920s, has attracted attention for its extended scenes of drug-fueled parties and graphic excess.

In an interview with NME, Robbie, who plays the character Nellie LaRoy, shared that she had tried to advise Chazelle to tone down the volume of cocaine seen on screen. “I think the only note I gave Damien… obviously there’s a lot of drugs in this movie and I play a character who does tons of drugs,” Robbie said. “But he would have them rack up lines of coke that were just like the size of hot dogs.”

Robbie went on to say that she had concerns that the amount of drugs in the film would be unrealistic and that some viewers would find it ridiculous. “I was like, ‘Damien, she’d be dead. This is an OD situation. People are going to watch this movie and know that this is ridiculous.’ And he’s like, ‘But it’s not reading on camera,’ and I’m like, ‘It’s insane,'” Robbie said.

When asked what substance was used to replicate the cocaine in the film, Robbie revealed that it was either vitamin B powder, icing sugar, or baby laxative. “Either way, it does hurt after a while,” she added.

Babylon is currently out in UK cinemas and has received mixed reviews from critics. Despite concerns about the amount of drugs in the film, NME wrote in their review that “Robbie and Pitt provide enough star-wattage to power most viewers to the end-credits. Babylon does babble on (sorry) past its natural conclusion, but what party ever ended when it was supposed to?”

The writer used AI tools to publish part of this article. The Brag Media relies on journalists to fact check & edit all articles regardless of any AI tools used.

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