Margot Robbie: Lady Gaga will be “incredible” as Harley Quinn in Joker 2

So far as live-action movies go, Margot Robbie is the face of Harley Quinn. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the iconic villain, but in Todd Phillips’ upcoming Joker sequel, subtitled Folie à Deux (which translates to “madness shared by two”), Quinn is played by none other than Lady Gaga.

Casting another actress as Harley in Joker 2 makes perfect sense. Robbie plays the character in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), a singular continuity of interconnected DC movies. Meanwhile, the Joker series stands on its own. As much as I loved Robbie’s stand-out performances, I welcome a fresh take on the character. And Joker 2 is a musical, so it probably helps to have a performer like Lady Gaga in the mix.

Margot Robbie isn’t salty about missing out at all. In fact, she embraces seeing another take on the villain. “It makes me so happy,” she told MTV News. “Because I said from the very beginning: all I want is for Harley Quinn to be one of those characters, the way Macbeth or Batman always gets passed from great actor to great actor.”

Seeing the baton get passed is part and parcel of any superhero role. Look at all the actors who have played Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, and so on. “It’s such an honor to have built a foundation strong enough that Harley can now be one of those characters that other actors get to have a go at playing,” Robbie said, adding that there are “not so many cases” where a female role has such staying power.

Margot Robbie thinks Lady Gaga will be an “incredible” Harley Quinn

Lady Gaga’s casting as Harley Quinn raised eyebrows when it was first announced. Some were disappointed that Robbie wasn’t involved, and some were thrilled that someone as high-profile as Gaga was taking on the role. Everyone was intrigued. “I think she’ll do something incredible with it,” Margot Robbie said.

If there was one way to get me totally on board with the sequel, it was by announcing Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Now I’m significantly more excited.

The cast continues to grow, with Deadline recently reporting that Industry star Harry Lawtey has joined the movie, although specifics about his role are currently under wraps. Joker 2: Folie à Deux is slated to premiere on October 4, 2024.

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