Harley Quinn Is Less The Narrative Center, More A Catalyst Of Chaos In Suicide Squad Says Margot Robbie

James Gunn's Suicide Squad movie includes a massive cast of both new and familiar faces, but don't let the big names of some of the heroes fool you. Just because Harley Quinn is one of DC's premiere superheroes (or antiheroes, depending on who you ask), doesn't mean she's going to be taking center stage in the movie, according to Margot Robbie in an interview with TotalFilm.

In explaining just where Harley fits into the massive lineup, Robbie explained "she's not necessarily your narrative center, and sometimes it's great when plot points can rest on other characters' shoulders, and she can be the thing that erupts a whole sequence of events."

This was apparently something Gunn agreed on. Robbie spoke with the director about her character before filming and felt "he agreed" on her take, based on the script. She also impressed that she saw Harley as "a catalyst of chaos."

This will be Robbie's third time playing Harley on the big screen following 2016's Suicide Squad and 2020's Birds of Prey. It's still not entirely clear how The Suicide Squad is going to fit in with either film in the sense of the timeline or in the DCEU's larger shared universe, but that seems like something Robbie has considered as well, at least in terms of Harley's complicated inner world and her relationships to the characters around her.

"[In terms of] how she's changed, it's just always interesting to explore what characteristics different directors gravitate towards from the character," she said. "The common denominator is the source material, which is what I always built the character off anyway. Then she evolves in different ways under different people's direction."

The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on August 6.