An endearing video on TikTok taken by Audrey Sanchez during the production of 2020’s Birds of Prey proves Oscar-winner Margot Robbie can switch into DC anti-hero mode whenever she likes.
Sanchez and her daughter were watching the crew work when they got up close and personal with Robbie, who was fully decked out in one of the film’s expressive Harley outfits. Fans of the funny, colorful action flick will remember it’s Joker-less, but the little girl wanted answers about why Harley’s green-haired ex wasn’t around.
Seeing Harley instead of Robbie in front of her eyes, the girl yelled, “Harley Quinn!” a few times before complaining, “She’s not answering.” Eventually, Robbie noticed and turned around to engage with the young girl. She said “Hello,” in her real Australian accent but flipped the Harley switch on when the girl enquired about her evil ex-boyfriend.
“Where’s Joker?” she asked, clearly unaware of the Harley-Joker toxic lore. Robbie did a half-turn back and answered in Harley’s iconic New York accent, “We’re on a break.” Before production ushered her away, she added, “It’s really complicated,” with an authentic smile.
The comments echo Robbie’s clear delight. “‘It’s really complicated’ understatement of the century,” one person wrote. Another pointed out, “I love how immediately she turns around to see who called her.”
But where was Joker, for real?
Jared Leto’s Crown Prince of Crime wasn’t a part of Birds of Prey because Robbie, who was also a producer, director Cathy Yan, and screenwriter Christina Hodson felt it was time to follow the comics’ suit and allow Harley to exist separately from the Joker.
While the two are inextricably linked due to Harley’s original story having to do with meeting him and eventually breaking him out of Arkham Asylum, she has been having solo adventures for over a decade in her own titles.
She’s also now romantically attached to Poison Ivy both on the page and in the Harley Quinn animated series. Robbie was eager to hypothetically tell their story one day, someway, somehow, but it never happened.
The point is the crew felt like it was time to let the character develop beyond the seeds most people know. Harley is an incredibly successful DC property in pretty much every medium, so we’re well past the point of needing the Joker as an anchor point.
Robbie pitched the general idea to Warner Bros. in 2016 when the DCEU was still under director Zack Snyder’s stewardship. The plot in its final form used a break-up as a plot device to set up Harley’s growth. We found out in the film’s opening monologue he dumped her. This was pretty common in the comics; Joker got rid of her a few times — cue the cream cheese.
Will Robbie’s Harley return?
We’re unlikely to revisit Robbie’s iteration thanks to James Gunn’s revamped DCU. That said, Gunn has done a weird sort of semi-reboot, recasting characters like Superman while keeping other roles the same, so never say never.
Robbie and Gunn have an existing working relationship since Harley starred in his The Suicide Squad movie. That was before Gunn took a leadership role at Warner Bros., though. Ultimately there are no existing plans for another Harley movie.
Our most recent live-action Harleys were in the aforementioned The Suicide Squad, which placed C-list characters front and center instead of her, and the disastrous flop, Joker 2. But Lady Gaga’s Harley was such an inverse of her usual characterization that we hesitate to count it. We probably won’t get Robbie back, but it’s good to know she’s fully capable of flipping the switch back on if need be.