Actor Margot Robbie recently addressed Lady Gaga being cast as Harley Quinn in the upcoming DC sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux. The actor joined the DC Extended Universe in David Ayer's Suicide Squad as the Joker's (Jared Leto) partner-in-crime and love interest. Although the film was critically-maligned, Robbie was praised for her portrayal of the popular villain and reprised the role in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) and The Suicide Squad (2020).
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While the DCEU continued its continuity, Warner Bros and DC Films decided to develop a solo Joker film outside the shared universe. Joaquin Phoenix starred as the titular character, a struggling party clown and stand-up comedian wrestling with mental illness who inadvertently incites a cultural revolution against the Gotham elite. The character-driven film proved popular with critics and audiences alike with Phoenix winning multiple prestigious awards for his performance, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. In August, pop sensation Lady Gaga was announced as joining the sequel as Harley Quinn.
In a recent interview with MTV News, Robbie discussed Lady Gaga playing Harley Quinn in the highly-anticipated film, Joker: Folie à Deux. The actor admitted that she was "happy" with the news and explained her hopes that Harley Quinn will be a popular role sought after by many actors for years to come. Read what Robbie said below.
"It makes me so happy because I said from the very beginning that all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters – the way Macbeth or Batman, always gets passed from great actor to great actor. Someone gets to do their Batman, or someone gets to do their Macbeth…"
"I feel like, in not so many cases, are there female characters – Queen Elizabeth I, but beyond that, which I got to have a crack out as well, which I was honored to do. I was like, 'Wow! Cate Blanchett did Queen Elizabeth I. Now I get to.' 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."
Harley Quinn Could Become As Coveted A Role As Joker
Robbie appears to understand that Harley Quinn may become a unique role that will eventually attract top talent as the DC character will likely be adapted again and again in future films and television series. Originally developed for Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, it wasn't until Robbie's performance in Suicide Squad that audiences were finally treated to the manic villain on the big screen. Although the DCEU films have not always resonated with audiences like the Marvel Cinematic Universe has, Robbie's Harley Quinn has remained a consistent point of praise. Through her outstanding work, she has laid the groundwork for subsequent actors to stand on when taking the role in future films.
When Joker: Folie à Deux lands in theaters, Lady Gaga's portrayal of Harley Quinn will inevitably be compared to Robbie's. However, due to the Joker sequel being a musical and harboring a drastically different tone than any of Robbie's DCEU films, such a comparison would be disingenuous. The upcoming film's music-centric genre directly lends itself to the incredible talents for which Lady Gaga is known. Unfortunately, audiences will have to wait two years to see Lady Gaga's take on Harley Quinn as Joker: Folie à Deux is set to premiere October 4, 2024.