Margot Robbie will soon be stepping back into her iconic DCEU role of Harley Quinn in the much-anticipated The Suicide Squad. This new take on the supervillain team looks to be Robbie's most action-packed movie in this role so far and she clearly has a lot of passion for such an opportunity since she is now pushing for more women to get involved with the action-heavy blockbuster roles.
While speaking to British Vogue about the upcoming The Suicide Squad, Robbie discussed the challenges and pleasures of working in a stunt-heavy movie. She went on to say that she is passionate about bringing more women into the action genre as a way of ensuring female actors are being paid fairly. "From a business or statistical standpoint, those are the high-paying jobs," she explains, "So I really want to advocate for women writing big blockbuster action films."
Robbie went on to explain that the idea that women are not interested in action movies is "ridiculous." She also spoke about her joy of doing the kind of action hero sequences as Harley Quinn that female actors don't usually have a chance to do. Robbie explained that, while there is a lot of danger involved in these elaborate stunts, she finds them to be "really fun."
The Suicide Squad will mark the third time Robbie has played Harley Quinn in the DCEU following 2016's Suicide Squad and 2020's Birds of Prey. The new adventure is written and directed by James Gunn and will see Robbie reunited with original cast members such as Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis as well as new additions such as Idris Elba, John Cena, and Sylvester Stallone. It will center around Amanda Waller's Task Force X being dropped off on a remote island to take down an army of enemies.
Robbie's love for the action genre is quite clear in her performance as Harley Quinn as she always seems to be having the time of her life with this role. But with such a versatile career as Robbie has made for herself, it is interesting how she has become an advocate for the action genre. She makes a good point, not only in pointing to action movies as a reason for some of Hollywood's pay disparities but also in pushing for more female voices behind the scenes of action movies. Though Robbie has played Harley three times, Birds of Prey was the only time the movie was written and directed by women. The superhero genre could help to change the perception of female action stars with the likes of The Marvels, She-Hulk, and Spider-Woman on the way.
But there is also room outside the superhero movies for the action genre to grow. After all, actors like Charlize Theron and Emily Blunt keep proving themselves to be excellent modern action heroes. Here's hoping Robbie herself will continue to become a strong presence in the genre as well.
The Suicide Squad will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6, 2021.
Source: British Vogue