'I don't think anyone is bothered': Locals react to 'Barbie' Margot Robbie buying home in Scottish village

She is one of Hollywood’s iconic faces, particularly after her lead role in the blockbuster film Barbie that, days after hitting the big screen, made more than a billion dollars around the globe.

It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, the internationally-acclaimed Margot Robbie was tickled pink to find a quiet holiday getaway in Scotland.

The award-winning actor purchased a cottage near Braemar last year.

Margot Robbie played the lead role in Barbie, released in 2023 | AFP via Getty Images

The Aberdeenshire location offers a peaceful spot away from the dazzling lights of her Hollywood career. And it would appear the world-famous actor is unlikely to be stopped in the street by locals in her nearest village.

A member of staff in Farquharsons Bar and Kitchen told The Scotsman: “I don’t think anyone is too bothered about her being in Braemar. She’s just another person.

“If I saw her in the street would I know her? Probably not.”

Margot Robbie has purchased a holiday home outside Braemar in Aberdeenshire | Katharine Hay

When asked if Robbie had been spotted in the village, the staff member replied: “I don’t think so. Maybe I have and I’ve just not noticed. She’s just doing her own thing. We don’t bother folk up here.”

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the move was likely to impact the local housing market. She said: “The prices will go up now that we have movie stars here.”

It is not the first time residents have seen celebrities flow through the village.

The Fife Arms, owned by millionaire art dealers Iwan and Manuela Wirth , reopened as a five-star boutique hotel that has attracted the likes of actress Dame Judi Dench and pop star Rita Ora.

The couple also own a second hotel in the village, the Invercauld Arms, which is undergoing refurbishment works. They are also in the process of purchasing the Braemar Kirk, which will be used as “an extension of the Fife Arms’ hospitality and as a complimentary space to the village’s other venues”.

Simon Blackett, who runs Yellow Welly Tours in Braemar, was a bit more positive about the new famous neighbour.

“It’s a free market and if a well-known film personality is able to buy, I don’t see an issue with that,” he said. “I think it’s something to be proud of that someone like that should want to come and live here.

“I think it’s a good idea.”

He said villages needed investment to keep them going.

Mr Blackett added: “I know some people think the impact of the Fife Arms has been negative, but I disagree. If we didn’t have the influence of the owners, we would have two derelict hotels and half the shops would be empty. Braemar is buzzing.”

Despite the off-market sale of the cottage taking place over a year ago, locals said they have not noticed Robbie in the village since.

Bruce Luffman, a former councillor and elder of the local parish, said: “My wife saw her in the Co-op when she was around some time last year, but she didn’t know who she was because we haven’t been to the cinema in ages.”

Robbie gave birth to her first child, a boy, with her husband Tom Ackerley in October last year. Her father, Doug Robbie, is Scottish, explaining her connection to the country.