One of the early stand-outs from Suicide Squad trailers and photos released so far has been Margot Robbie’s interpretation of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, also known as Harley Quinn, a character Robbie clearly loves and even incorporated into her birthday celebration. But did you know director David Ayer’s version of the character almost had a very different look?
Robbie took a break from giving out free misspelled tattoos to speak to Hello Giggles about how she was cast in the role — there was no script and no other actors hired yet when she got the offer, but she was convinced as soon as they told her David Ayer was directing — and about how they settled on her look for the film. Apparently, it involved a lot of spinning in front of a three way mirror:
We tried on every variation of the costume. I cannot emphasis enough how many outfits, and how many variations of the Harley Quinn costume we tried. We tried the court jester costume, we tried the corset and skirt, we tried leather pants, we tried literally every type of costume possible for her. I really love where we ended up. And who knows, maybe in the sequels we’ll go with the court jester one. I think there’s a world of possibilities.
Yes, she said sequels, plural. We already know Suicide Squad 2 is in the works, but it sounds like she’s hoping for even more. If they did change up her look, they have plenty to choose from, not just the court jester outfit from the character’s debut in Batman: The Animated Series. She has several different recognizable styles in the comics, as evidenced by the wide variety of cosplayers we highlight every Harley Quinn Month.
Robbie also gave a funny (and telling) response when asked if she went “completely method” like Jared Leto. (You never go full method.)
“No, I’m not a method actor, I don’t think anyone would still be friends with me if I were trying to be method with Harley.”
Oh, snap.
(Via Hello Giggles and Comic Book Movie)
