Margot Robbie 2014 W Magazine Photoshoot Resurfaces Amid Casting Backlash

An 11-year-old photo is haunting the internet. A 2014 cover shoot for W Magazine featuring Margot Robbie has gone viral again, and social media users aren't holding back. Captured entirely underwater, the shoot was originally framed as an artistic exploration, but today's viewers are questioning how it ever made it to print.

The Margot Robbie 2014 W Magazine Photoshoot: Art or Amateurism?

Photographed by renowned video artist Bill Viola, the shoot styled Robbie as a mythical "siren." She was submerged in a water tank wearing an embellished Donna Karan gown reportedly worth $10,000. Despite the high production value, commenters have compared the images to a failed America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) challenge.

The harshest critics claim that Tyra Banks would've "torn her to shreds" for her vacant facial expression. While some fans defended the difficulty of underwater photography, others pointed out that the composition looked like "two friends hanging out in a pool." It's a stark contrast to the polished image Robbie maintains today as one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Fueling the Fire: The Wuthering Heights Controversy

This sudden interest in Robbie's past work isn't random. It follows a wave of backlash regarding her casting in Emerald Fennell's upcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation. Leaked set photos showed Robbie in a white gown that many felt was not period-accurate for the 1783 setting. Fans also argued she's too old to play the 18-year-old Catherine Earnshaw.

With her co-star Jacob Elordi also facing criticism for looking "too modern" as Heathcliff, the resurfaced W Magazine photos have added more fuel to the narrative that Robbie's recent creative choices—or those of her stylists—are missing the mark.