The cast of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) have sounded off, and they agree: If any Joker should get the chance to be with Harley, it should be Heath Ledger’s iteration from The Dark Knight. 2016’s Suicide Squad depicted the twisted and toxic relationship between Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and the Joker (Jared Leto), and at one point, there were reports that a spin-off centered on the two was in development. Plans for that fell apart following Warner Bros.’ decision to step away from Leto’s version of the character. Since then, the trailers for Birds of Prey have shown Harley recovering from her recent breakup with the Clown Prince of Crime, signalling a welcome change for Harley’s character.

Birds of Prey, the first R-rated DCEU movie, will hit theaters next week. In addition to Robbie, it stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, and Ewan McGregor. While official reviews haven’t been posted yet, the first reactions to Birds of Prey hit social media earlier this week. They were largely positive, saying the film is a chock full of wonderful R-rated antics. In addition, Birds of Prey reportedly beat both Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman in presales on its first day, suggesting a healthy interest in the film.

During an interview with Jake Hamilton, the entire cast (minus McGregor), writer Christina Hodson, and director Cathy Yan were asked if there was any version of the Joker who could have a healthy relationship with Harley. Robbie was quick to say that any comics-accurate Joker portrayal would never be healthy “because he’s a psychopath.” Winstead, Perez, and Smollett-Bell agreed, with all of them offering vehement nos. However, Yan offered an interesting argument in favor of Ledger’s Joker, explaining, “It was such an intelligent take on the character that I feel like, and Margot’s Harley is so so smart behind all the crazy, that I would be very curious, like, the battle of wits on that one.”

Robbie seemed a bit more in favor of this, saying, “That would’ve been truly, truly, truly incredible.” Perez then offered up the two Jokers someone would most likely fall for and then try to fix: Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix from last year’s Joker, though she added right after that it would still be unhealthy.

It’s refreshing to hear the Birds of Prey cast directly addressing the toxic nature of Harley and the Joker’s relationship, especially since so many unhealthy relationships get romanticized in pop culture. Fans were excited to hear Birds of Prey would feature a Joker-free Harley, and the film’s lengthy title hints at the freedom she and the other ladies will discover. Seeing Harley as her own person looks to be one of the highlights of Birds of Prey, and fans only have to wait another week to catch her in action.

More: Birds Of Prey: Why Black Mask Wants To Kill Harley Quinn

Source: Jake Hamilton

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