'You'd Do That For Your Mom': Margot Robbie Reveals That She Paid Off Her Mom's Mortgage With Paychecks The "Barbie" star earned an estimated $12.5 million for the film.

By Emily Rella

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Margot Robbie has made a splash hit as the titular character in the new "Barbie" movie, which grossed an estimated $337 million worldwide during its box office debut over the weekend.

But Robbie, who earned an estimated $12.5 million for her role in the film, didn't always have such success, especially early on in her career.

The Australian actress spoke in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning and revealed that her mother used to take money out of their house mortgage to help fund her daughter's career — something Robbie said was pertinent for her to pay back once she could afford it.

Related: The Barbie Movie May Have Brought In Big Bucks at the Box Office, But One Collector Has Thousands Worth of Barbies in Her Toy Box

Robbie was raised in Queensland, Australia, by a single mom.

"I kept it. Everything I owed my mom, I had written down," she said. "One day, when I made enough money, I just paid that whole mortgage off completely. I was like, 'Mom, don't even worry about that mortgage anymore. It doesn't exist anymore.'"

Related: The 'Barbie' Movie May Have Caused A Global Pink Paint Shortage

Robbie has an estimated net worth of $40 million, much of which has been fueled by her successful roles as Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya" (which she earned an Academy Award nomination for) and as Harley Quinn in "Suicide Squad" and other Marvel spinoffs.

Her breakout role was in the 2013 hit "The Wolf of Wall Street" with Leonardo DiCaprio. Robbie also runs a production company with her husband, Tom Ackerly, called LuckyChap Entertainment.

"Anyone in my position, you'd do that for your mom," Robbie said. "Of course, you would."

"Barbie" is already breaking box office records after its mid-July premiere: the biggest U.S. opening for a non-superhero film and the biggest opening for a female director (Greta Gerwig).

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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