Margot Robbie has been infamous for playing the emotionally driven anti-hero, Harley Quinn, the obsessed love interest of Joker in the DC universe. She later finds the consciousness to break away from the man who enjoys manipulating her more than loving her and finds family in the band of dysfunctional misfits, called the Birds of Prey. However, that role is now being celebrated as a multifaceted one, pursued by directors and actors for the immense potential that Margot Robbie made possible.
Harley Quinn Branches Out in the World of DC
Harley Quinn is not a private proprietary character belonging to one person and one director at a time under one studio. DC’s still extensive scripture allows the franchise to pursue parallel storylines simultaneously without putting a dent in the broader narrative. Unlike Marvel, it doesn’t have to be unilateral and connected in each of its aspects.
Margot Robbie‘s portrayal falls under similar treatment, as we keep witnessing an increase in the same characters in multiple places all over DC — Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson as Batman, Joaquin Phoenix and Barry Keoghan as Joker, and now Lady Gaga takes a seat at the table beside Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
Margot Robbie Reacts to the Casting of Lady Gaga
The Todd Phillips universe is inherently rooted in social satire. Its award-winning installment explored the deeply entrenched baseless cruelty of humanity and now follows it up with a musical sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux in a tone similar to the former. As the titular character, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix continues to battle it out with reality and his own demons, Lady Gaga joins him as the rightful Queen beside the Clown Prince of Crime.
In light of the casting, Margot Robbie, the only person to have brought the anti-hero to the live-action screen to date exclaimed her elation and pride at being one of the forerunners of this character and to be able to now pass on the mantle to another talented actress.
“It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning, all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way Macbeth or Batman always gets passed, you know, from great actor to great actor. And it’s kind of like someone gets to do their Batman or someone gets to do their Macbeth, you know?
[…] It’s such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing. And I think she’ll do something incredible with it.”
Joker: Folie à Deux premieres in theatres on October 8, 2024.
