DC's Harley Quinn isn't one to be overcome with her inhibitions. She'll steal if she feels like it, say whatever is on her mind, wear smudged makeup and show as much skin as she pleases. While Margot Robbie doesn't seem bothered about all that it entails to play the iconic villain, when Harley wears less, there's a lot more prep she needs to go through then one might realize. Here's what the actress said:
Honestly, for me, as Harley at least, the more skin showing the longer it takes in hair and makeup 'cause she's got, you know, white skin and a million tattoos. So if anything outside, god, the scenes where I don't even have the jacket on, that's an extra 20 minutes in the makeup trailer.
When Margot Robbie pulled off that incredible Harley Quinn transformation in 2016's Suicide Squad, it looks effortless, but it takes a whole team and a lot of body paint to doll her up into the DC villain. It becomes even more of an effort when she is showing more skin because Harley's complexion is lighter and she has plenty of body tattoos.
There's no question Harley Quinn's get-up in Suicide Squad had her spending hours upon hours in the makeup trailer as she wore a ripped "Daddy's Little Monster" jersey and she showed off her tatted legs and arms for much of the movie. So prep time was probably only cut short on the days where they shot scenes of Harley in that slick bomber jacket or when she wears a prison jumpsuit toward the beginning.
Margot Robbie hasn't been one to be shy onscreen with showing off some skin in her work, including The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short. In the past, the actress has even opened about how it can be empowering to be nude onscreen if her character is intentionally using her body as a tool or weapon.
However, if there's no self-awareness behind the character showing skin, Margot Robbie is turned off by the idea. Harley Quinn is certainly a character who bares more skin because it's part of her personality to not go by convention and that doesn't stop with her fashion sense.
Margot Robbie talked about the downside of spending so much time in the makeup chair to play Harley during an interview with W Magazine alongside Michael B. Jordan. The Black Panther actor could sympathize with her answer because when he would appear shirtless as Killmonger, there were tons of scars and makeup that was involved.
Margot Robbie is set to suit up again as Harley Quinn in the upcoming DCEU film, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), coming to theaters on February 7, 2020. In the film, the character will be assembling her own "girl gang" that includes Huntress and Black Canary. Harley is sure to have another fabulous (... fantabulous?) look that fits her character.
