DC’s latest movie, Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn), has aimed to break barriers with regards to diversity and inclusivity, both in front of and behind the camera. Director Cathy Yan and Cassandra Cain actress Ella Jay Basco have contributed to that goal, and Screen Rant recently caught up with them at a Birds of Prey event to discuss - as part of a group interview with other entertainment outlets - what that diversity means to them, the film’s R rating, and the comic book industry in general.

When you guys got approached by Warner Bros., what was that reaction? Because you’re the first person (an Asian female director behind a superhero movie) between Marvel, DC, anything to actually bridge that gap. What was that like for you, and how did you guys both approach the work based off of that?

Comics are kind of like storyboarding - did you use any specific comics for reference material? And did you have any love for the medium beforehand?

Yan: It was very humbling and surreal. It all happened very quickly, and it’s something that I think about a lot. At the time, I didn’t think about it at all [laughs]. But you know, I think it’s a really great responsibility. Hopefully, the movie is just good. And then we can just talk about as it was a really great, fun movie and a great time, and it just so happens to have an Asian female director and an Asian female lead.

Basco: I definitely think it should’ve happened sooner, but it’s such an honor to be a part of this. I couldn’t be more grateful.

So this movie is rated R. Can you tell me all the stuff you wanted to do, like the violence, the gore, all that… and how much of that did you [Ella Jay Basco] get to see too?

Yan: Well, I have to be honest, I grew up mostly in the film medium with comic books. So I grew up watching the Batman movies and that was the world of Gotham. Then when we talked about the look of this movie, we wanted it to feel almost like a comic. So it has that kind of colorful tactile quality to it, and that was kind of by design. I felt like there were a lot of comic book movies that were very slick and I wanted it to have a little bit more of that gritty nature to it. A big reference for me, for Harley, was the whole New 52 series, because that kind of reinvented her a little bit more as an antihero, and she was out on her own, and she was living in Coney Island, and all of that. And I think that was a big starting point for me.

Basco: When I first found out that I got the role, I bought a bunch of comic books of Birds of Prey, Cassandra Cain, the whole shebang shebootle. And I wasn’t as aware, but I definitely studied, and now I’m in love with Cassandra Cain.

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Yan: Oh she got to see everything. She probably has more curse words than most in the movie, which is hilarious.

Basco: It was fun because I’m never allowed to do it anywhere else. So to pretend and to play with that was fun, I would say.

Yan: It extends from her character. Cassandra Cain, in our movie, is like the sweet kid who is tough and out on her own, so that’s kind of her tough exterior. And so much of the movie is through Harley’s perspective and Harley is so unabashedly cuckoo, and she’s both this pixie manic angel, but she’s also like a complete violent force of nature. To be able to encapsulate all sides of Harley, it just makes sense to make it R.

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