Very few actors channel the beauty and grace of Hollywood’s Golden Age. In fact, we can probably count on one hand the number of actors who have managed to reach the ranks of people like Katharine Hepburn or Cary Grant.
But one of the few who stands out is none other than Margot Robbie. Hailing from the land of marsupials and Vegemite, the Australian actress swept into Hollywood like a force of nature and, frankly, made thousands of people around the world jealous of her husband, Tom Ackerley. However, to Robbie, he’s the one and only for her, and there’s a very specific reason why.
Margot Robbie met her husband over a decade ago, not long after debuting in Hollywood in the Martin Scorsese feature, The Wolf of Wall Street
Image credits: Warner Bros / IMDb
At the time they met, they were both working on a World War II period drama called Suite Française, with Robbie as an actress, and Tom Ackerley as a third director
In 2013, the Barbie actress met Ackerley, a British filmmaker, on the set of the World War II drama Suite Française. At the time, Ackerley was working as the third assistant director, while Robbie had a supporting role. For about a year after meeting, the two reportedly remained close friends and even flatmates until that friendship blossomed into romance, and they tied the knot in 2016.
Image credits: Vogue / Youtube
Surprisingly, the actress admitted that before meeting Ackerley, she considered herself the “ultimate single gal,” according to a 2016 interview with Vogue. Robbie revealed that before meeting her future husband at age 23, the thought of being in a relationship made her “want to vomit.” But then, as if straight out of a fairy tale, the filmmaker swept her off her feet, and the two eventually realized their feelings for each other.
At first, the two remained close friends for quite some time, even sharing a flat in London, but Margot admitted to having always been in love with him
Before meeting her future husband, however, Robbie was probably best known for her supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, which marked her major American film debut. Prior to landing that role, she was best known in her home country for portraying Donna Freedman on the long-running soap opera Neighbours. She later landed her first American television role in the ABC period drama Pan Am.
Image credits: Access Hollywood / Youtube
After her breakout performance in the Scorsese film, Robbie quickly became a household name. She went on to star in titles such as the Oscar-nominated I, Tonya, Babylon, and, of course, the 2023 phenomenon Barbie. Ackerley, meanwhile, has worked behind the scenes on several notable Hollywood productions, including Barbie, the 2026 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, and Saltburn — all films in which Robbie starred.
Despite knowing each other for so long, the actress admitted in an interview that, as a Potterhead, she didn't know her husband was actually in Harry Potter for a brief second
Image credits: Harry Potter / Youtube
Besides being an absolute power couple taking Hollywood by storm, Robbie and Ackerley made headlines when she appeared on The Graham Norton Show in 2020 and admitted she was a major Potterhead, a term officially recognized by the Collins English Dictionary. Robbie revealed that she loved the franchise so much that she even got prescription glasses to imitate the ones Harry wears, despite having no vision problems.
However, this isn't the reason the couple became known for their wholesome dynamic. As it turns out, years after they married in a private 2016 ceremony, Robbie discovered that her husband had actually appeared in not one, not two, but three Harry Potter films as an extra, specifically as a Hogwarts student. According to Robbie, he played a Slytherin student, and records show he appeared in the first three films.
Robbie explained that she discovered Ackerley had been a Hogwarts student extra in the Harry Potter films — and he even had his big moment on screen, in the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. During the scene where the students gather to see Buckbeak, Ackerley was apparently pushed aside by none other than Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy.
It’s quite wholesome to see an actress be such a fangirl of her favorite franchise. The fact that Margot Robbie was so excited that her husband had met Tom Felton is especially funny, considering she is a three-time Oscar nominee, while Felton has never received an Academy Award nomination. But hey, awards aren’t everything, and sometimes it’s the small, nostalgic connections that bring us the most joy.
To no one's surprise, netizens openly shared their jealousy towards Ackerley, with a few sharing how sweet the couple looked
