Birds of Prey may have gotten some flack for primarily promoting Harley Queen, but when the film hits theaters on February 7 it will become clear that each woman has a very distinct role to play. The film works as an origin story for several heroines, but also an extensive look at a whole new side of Gotham, and it requires a stellar cast to make the introductions.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez sat down with Screen Rant to share their insights into Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya respectively. They explained how each character fits into the villainous machinations of Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), but also how they approached their portrayals of such iconic DC ladies.

Guys, amazing job. You guys all kick ass. Such a badass movie. Sionis is the major villain here. How do you guys all play into his world? How are you connected to his world?

And Rosie, you play the great Renee Montoya. How do you connect to this world? 

Jurnee Smollett-Bell: I work at his club. I’m really in the center of his corruption. And I’m kind of like his Buddha, his muse. He seeks calm in me, but he was one of the only people who has helped me in my life, since my mother passed away. So, there’s this strange loyalty to him that I have in spite of his corruption.

And the Huntress!

Rosie Perez: I want to get him. I know that he’s guilty. I know he’s behind a lot of the corruption. Nobody believes me, of course, in the patriarchal structures of Gotham PD. But I’m on a mission, and I’m going to get him. That’s how I feel.

I love your character, by the way. Because it’s a lot different than the comics, but it works so well in this film. The question I have is: you were also in Sky High. That was 2005, I believe? And then in 2020, obviously is Birds of Prey. How has the superhero genre changed since you’ve seen it?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: The Huntress is going after one of his goons, basically. One of his men is on my hit list; is my ultimate, sort of, the finish to my revenge plot. And once - Well, I don’t want to give it away. But once I meet up with these ladies, Renee Montoya sort of turns me onto the idea that Romans Sionis has been the puppet master all along. And then he becomes on my hit list, as well.

Jurnee, your character, the Black Canary, has such a great legacy in the comics and on other forms of media. You have this kind of world-weary, but still kind of the heart of the movie, eyes to you. Can you talk to me about the balancing act in portraying the character?

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Gosh, you know, Sky High kind of came out before this genre exploded. So, it was a bit smaller scale. Nobody was really talking about it quite as much, and especially the sort of comedic tone of a superhero film. So, I love it. I think it has a little bit of a cult following now.

Now, it kind of fits into the world that everybody’s kind of into. And I think Birds of Prey is in a similar tone, but like the hard R, adult, violent version. So, I love it. I love that movie, and I love this one.

Rosie, Renee Montoya is really the most grounded out of all the characters in the film. Can you talk to me about the approach and the research that went into Renee Montoya’s character?

Jurnee Smollett-Bell: Yeah, it definitely was a balancing act because Dinah Lance is so iconic in the comics. And in our film, we definitely wanted to capture the essence of Dinah Lance in the comics, but it’s an origin story, so she hasn’t yet grown into her full potential of owning her power - the power that we know her to have in the comics.

So, it was great for me as an actor to play that contradiction of someone who’s literally working for the most corrupt man in Gotham, and yet she is all heart and she’s really going against her nature when we meet her in the film.

Because we know her to be this compassionate, upstanding woman who’s this ferocious street fighter and a vigilante. But because she lost her mother to crime fighting, she really wants nothing to do with it. And it was great to explore this idea that someone could be so capable of such power and potential, and yet they’re in their own way.

More: Christina Hodson Birds of Prey Interview

Rosie Perez: I researched it extensively. I always was a nerd and a comic fan anyway, so I kind of knew a lot about her. But when I dove deeper into her, I realized she’s carrying a lot of pain from her childhood. And she’s carrying a lot of pain of always being underestimated, and then being outed; being passed over.

You know, she’s a highly fluid character, and I love that because she also has the highest moral code out of everyone. Allowing the flaws to be there without judgment is the way I approached Renee, because I can relate to that.

And I know a lot of women can relate to as well, especially women of a certain age of my age, I brought that to the table as well. You know, being in this business over 30 plus years, I’ve seen changes. We’re getting a lot more power lately, and that’s a fantastic thing. So this is a very timely piece.

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