As girls, they dreamed of growing up to perform like Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicolas Cage, Goldie Hawn — even an Ewok. As women, they have turned in some of this year’s most daring and moving performances. In November, Annette Bening (Nyad), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Emma Stone (Poor Things) gathered in Los Angeles for THR’s annual Actress Roundtable. And while they have taken on weighty work, in this conversation it became clear the industry’s leading ladies are really ready to laugh at themselves.

Do you think you’re better off in life if you were an A student or a B student?

Lily Gladstone It doesn’t matter. Grading is somebody else’s metric.

Margot Robbie I feel like I learned more in lunch break. I feel like school was very informative for me — but in between classes.