Suicide Squad director David Ayer praises Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn

If you’ve seen either trailer for Suicide Squad (and if you haven’t, do so now), then it’s a safe bet that one of the things you’re looking forward to most about the film is Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie. In an interview with Yahoo! Movies, the movie’s director David Ayer gushed much praise about Robbie’s portrayal of the character, which also happens to be one of his favourites.

‘I don’t know what to say other than a star is born,’ he claims. ‘She’s riveting, she’s magnetic, she is the character. I don’t recognise her out of make-up, we spend so much time together on set, I’m uncomfortable around her if she’s not in make-up.’

Ayer also spoke of his excitement to have one of the most famous Batman villains (a creation actually not from the comics, but from The Animated Series) in his movie: ‘Harley’s one of my favourite characters… She’s one of the reasons I wanted to do this project. She’s so complex, she’s all about dichotomies, so many opposing qualities in the same person, just like all of us. It’s nice to explore those things. It’s rare to have such a strong female character who’s so active in the story, so driven and so powerful – yet has these weaknesses and Achilles’ heels, just like anybody.’

Harley Quinn gives some of the best quips in the footage we’ve seen so far; here’s hoping that her character will deliver the rest of the goods when we finally watch Suicide Squad on August 4.