“There was a real gap in the market for a female ensemble action film”- When Margot Robbie opened up about Birds of Prey’s inception

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, starring Margot Robbie, is a critically important film in the superhero genre. Robbie, who both produced and starred in the movie, was eager to create a female-led action film after recognizing the lack of such movies.

The movie was released on February 7, 2020. She aimed to showcase a strong female ensemble and ensure that women both in front of and behind the camera were well-represented.

During an interview with Variety in January 2020, Robbie shared how the film came about, how the team assembled, and how they made sure the project remained true to the comic book origins of Harley Quinn and Birds of Prey.

“There was a real gap in the market for a female ensemble action film”, she said.

With Birds of Prey, Robbie wanted to make a fresh story quite different from other superhero films, mainly Joker, which has such a dark tone.

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Inspiration behind Birds of Prey

During the production of Suicide Squad, Margot Robbie began to reflect on the lack of female-ensemble action films. She recognized an opportunity to fill this gap and bring a fresh perspective to the genre.

“I’d been thinking for quite some time how there was a real gap in the market for a female ensemble action film,” Robbie said.

She explained that most people think only men enjoy action films, but she and many women adore them. Movies like Charlie's Angels inspired Robbie when considering how to bring a similar dynamic to the screen.

When researching Harley Quinn's character, Robbie delved into the comics and was attracted to the Birds of Prey series. A whole array of females appears throughout the comics, making it a well-suited platform for an all-girl superhero movie.

Harley Quinn's chaotic, unpredictable nature made her a perfect fit for the cast. She could handle any situation without ever causing suspicion, and things would sometimes blow up in her company. The film would also be an R-rated action movie, which was bold, especially at that time since Deadpool had just demonstrated that films like these could be successful.

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Harley Quinn: The multifaceted character

Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is probably the most liked character from the Birds of Prey series. But for Margot Robbie, it was not easy to grasp what Harley was. In her interview, she revealed how she struggled to comprehend why Harley would stay in an abusive relationship with the Joker.

Through research and reading, Robbie found answers in unexpected places. One key influence was the play Fool For Love, which helped her understand the complexities of Harley's toxic relationship with the Joker. With being an astute psychiatrist with schizophrenia and mental illness, Robbie investigated deeper into Harley's psychology:

"It's the voices in her head," she narrates, explaining how the different mental states of Harley, which she goes through affect her actions.

This character study on real women affected by schizophrenia helped Robbie draw a more complex view of Harley, making her much more unpredictable, adding value to the excitement while portraying her on the film screen.

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A unique take on storytelling by Margot Robbie

Birds of Prey is not your ordinary superhero film; it has its peculiar structure and tone. The movie was crafted with care by Margot Robbie and writer Christina Hodson in such a way that would separate this film from conventional narrative formulae. It's also nonlinear, bouncing around from one time frame to the other before it finally calms down to the latter part of a regular chronology.

This approach gives the film a sense of chaotic fun, reflecting Harley's disordered mind. Robbie was attracted to this structure because it made the story feel fresh and spontaneous rather than following some predictable formula. The choice of Cathy Yan as director was another important step toward making the film stand out.

Yan, known for her film Dead Pigs, was selected because she can successfully work with ensemble casts and brings a distinct stylistic flair to her films. Yan's vision for Birds of Prey brought the film to life with its vibrant, visually dynamic world.

According to Margot Robbie, Yan showed attention to detail in costuming and action sequences to make the movie reflect the personalities of all the different characters.

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Birds of Prey is not just another superhero entry film. It is a movie involving diverse women in front and behind the camera that creates fun, chaotic, as well as deeply personal feelings toward the story that should come out of Margot Robbie's mouth.