Everybody has his or her own idea of what certain DC characters should look like, which is why Suicide Squad jarred so many fans. David Ayer took serious liberties with many of the characters, and it ultimately paid off. The movie went in an entirely new visual direction, while maintaining fidelity to the characters' personalities. One such villainess who looked incredibly different from her origins was none other than Harley Quinn, and as it turns out: the filmmakers based much of her look off of legendary rock star Debbie Harry. Margot Robbie elaborated:
I tried on like 100 different variations of the costume but when I saw a picture of - we found this picture of Debbie Harry - and I was like, 'That's it, that is dope.'
During a recent interview with the 2DAY FM's Rove And Sam radio show, Margot Robbie explained the intense search for Harley Quinn's Suicide Squad outfit. She says she tried on at least 100 different versions of the costume, but ultimately decided on one inspired by a photo of rock star Debbie Harry of Blondie. Once she saw that photo, she instantly knew the direction to take the costume -- although she did also reveal that the skimpiness of the costume did make her uncomfortable at times.
Taking inspiration from Debbie Harry makes sense in the long run. Much like Margot Robbie's own take on Harley Quinn, Harry had (and still has) a very punk rock aura, while still maintaining certain, distinct qualities of feminine beauty. They're both tough, but they're both also incredibly magnetic individuals.
Having an iconic musician serve as the inspiration for The Joker's mistress shouldn't really come as a major shock to anybody. Musicians have long served as templates for filmmakers to model The Joker himself. Heath Ledger pretty much directly imitated the legendary speech patterns of Tom Waits for his take on the Clown Prince of Crime, and Jared Leto recently came out and admitted that the late, great David Bowie helped him create his own recent take on The Joker. There's apparently something about Gotham City's clown population that goes hand in hand with rock stars.
Of course, Debbie Harry already holds her own place as an icon in the history of music. Check out a live show of her and Blondie playing the song "Heart of Glass" and the DNA of Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn can be fairly easily seen:
That performance pretty much screams Harley -- minus the homicidal tendencies. Knowing the overall genesis of Harley Quinn's Suicide Squad look makes the characterization all the more interesting. Margot Robbie absolutely nailed the performance, and we definitely cannot wait to see where she goes next. Suicide Squad won't be in theaters too much longer, so make sure to check it out while you still can!
