The Cost Of Being Queen: 'Mary' Explores The Sacrifices Of Women In Power

When she was first given the opportunity to play Queen Elizabeth I in the new film Mary Queen of Scots, Margot Robbie declined. "I found the prospect too intimidating," Robbie says. "I didn't really feel worthy." But after multiple conversations with director Josie Rourke, she changed her mind: "Eventually I was like, 'Look I trust you, I'm willing to give it a go,' " she recalls.

Much has been written about the relationship between Elizabeth I of England and Mary Stuart of Scotland — two queens ruling at the same time in rival, neighboring countries. The new film reinterprets that history in a feminist light.

"We re-examine history as a way of understanding what's happening in our present time, and where we're heading in the future ..." Robbie says. "That's the reason we've told stories since the beginning of time. ... Now, more than ever, the examination of what it's like to be a woman in charge and a woman in power is a very important thing to examine in our society."