Actress Margot Robbie’s snake story

Graham: Margot, I don’t know if you were a terrible child, but do you know the story I’m talking about where, like, you do not win any awards for being a good daughter?

Margot: There are many stories where I don’t win awards. I was not a great daughter. I’m forever in my mum’s debt because I was such a brat! I feel really bad about it.

Graham: Tell us the story about when you were on your computer and she wanted your help.

Margot: Oh, yes. She … yes! OK, so … I was on MSN – obviously the most important thing at the time!

Graham: God’s in the details!

Margot: And we lived out, like, you know, out in the sticks. And often snakes would get into the house. And, you know, it wasn’t a big deal but you just have to, like, chase them around and get it out. It was kind of time-consuming and annoying. And so, my mum yelled out and she was like, ‘Can you come help me? There’s … this snake’s really big, like, I can’t get it on my own, can you come help me?’ And I was like, ‘I’m so busy, Mum! No! I can’t!’ Like, just being a brat and I was on MSN. And she was like, ‘Oh, I just … OK … Are you? … please!’ And I was like, ‘Be gone!’ And …

(Audience laughs.)

Margot: And then, she was gone for, like, ten minutes. And I was like, ‘Oh, she’s been gone for ages.’ And then I, like, got up from the computer. I could hear, like, this ‘Mm! Mm!’ And I was like, ‘Oh God, what’s happening?’ And I see Mum. She’s, like, made it halfway down the stairs. And the snake … she’d tried to, like, pick this big python up with a … with a broom and a stick. But it had wound its way up around her arm and was going around her neck!

(Audience laughs.)

Margot: It was trying to choke her!

Woman 1: I love Australia but I would never be able to live there.

Margot: Well, no, I’m painting a bad picture, it’s really not bad. But, um …

(Audience laughs.)

Margot: It wasn’t a poisonous snake, but they do strangle you.

(Graham laughs.)

Margot: I know, yeah! I felt so bad, and …

Woman 2: How did you get it off her?

Margot: You’ve just got to give it something else to climb on. So you get a stick or something, it starts weaving its way around that. And then you can transfer its weight … and get it off.

Woman 2: Good to know.

Graham: Yeah, that is a top tip.

Margot: Or you just, you grab it behind its head. You grab it behind its jaw.

Graham: Oh, they hate that. They hate it.

Margot: You just don’t want it to bite you.

(Graham laughs.)

Graham: But was your mother OK?

Margot: Yeah, she was fine. I felt bad and I tried not to be such a brat. When Mum asked for help in future, I kind of did it.

Graham: A lesson learned.

Margot: A lesson learned.

Graham: Very good.

© BBC