Interested in looking at the recently popular and villainous sweetheart's wardrobe since 1992? Then let's take a peek! In fact, how about starting with Suicide Squad in honor of it being released in theaters? And how about a quick film review from little ol' me, Haley Al--pardon! I mean, Haley Quinn? *winky face*
I also got some of my friends who are in the process of releasing a Batman short film to help me out with this alternative twist on the viral YouTube series "100 Years of Beauty," so I hope y'all enjoy on what the film crew had to say about the multiple versions of Harley, too!
1. Suicide Squad
Despite what all of the critics and fans on the internet have seen saying, I actually enjoyed the film! The plot was meh, but I was more in it for the characters' performances and the soundtrack. If there's one thing we can all agree on, Will Smith was an excellent Deadshot, and Jared Leto's Joker did not top Heath Ledger's flawless and phenomenal performance as the Joker in Dark Night Rises.
The only thing I really liked about his Joker was the way his poisonous relationship was truthfully portrayed with Harley. And like Chanelle Helle said in her recent article, I am not and would never EVER endorse them as #RelationshipGoals.
On a lighter note, while I haven't seen Margot Robbie in any other films (yet!), she was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME AS HARLEY QUINN OMG. Ahem, as for her costume and makeup, I'm gonna say her makeup was better! I've been really obsessed with makeup since last summer (I know, I'm late to the game for someone who turned 22 back in April!), I fell in love with Margot's look! In fact, I recreated it as well when I saw the film this past Tuesday!
"I thought she [Margot Robbie] looked the part, the trailers made her seem well chosen, and it did seem like she would be the best part of the movie. I was over the wall excited about the fact that my favorite Batman woman was finally in a movie." - Jen, Costume Concept Designer
However, not all fans think alike:
"I'm not a huge fan of the Suicide Squad Harley's design to be honest. I can appreciate the originality of it, but it looks too... I dunno. Her color scheme reminds me of bubblegum for some reason or like she just got back from a rave and for some reason it just doesn't sit well with how I'd like Harley to look. I prefer the darker version with clown makeup and all." - Ava Pietruszewski, Graphic Artist and Script Supervisor
But don't worry, folks! Like Jen, Ava does think Margot is the perfect actress to play Harley in "Suicide Squad" since she "has the right look for her and her acting has the right amount of playfulness and weird mixed together that just works."
2. Batman: The Animated Series
I have a confession to make: I never watched or grew up with the cartoon.
And now it really makes me feel bad because thanks to the movie, I've become very attached to Harley! But I guess it's never too late to start, right?
Meanwhile, most of crew members I interviewed can all agree this Harley Quinn is their number one favorite adaptation - after all, she's pretty much the HQ we grew up with and came to know and love!
While I loved Harley's makeup in the film, I really wish the costuming department went with the well-known red-and-black scheme for outfit - it really brings out the sense of nostalgia to her character, and it's always fun to do something classic with a slightly modernized twist.
As a self-proclaimed nerd (then again, aren't we all?), you know I couldn't leave this article without talking about how Harley gave birth to many versions of cosplay in the most creative ways you can think of!
Speaking of cosplay, Jen, who did the initial sketch design of Harley Quinn's look for the short film, has done a "cosplay ode" for the DC villainess! Ringing in her 18th year of cosplaying, and professionally known as "Blossoming Cosplay," her Burlesque version of Miss Harley definite one of the best cosplays I've seen:
"There wasn't too much of a process. My friend Rachel [Leikela Cosplay] and I were adapting the steampunk designs by NoFlutter, and kept them more Burlesque in nature. Lots of sewing involved; the only pieces we did not make were the corsets. The bustles took the longest, and were probably the most frustrating thing I've ever tackled. Let's just say I will never use Coats & Clark thread ever again, haha!" - Jen
4. Batman: Patient Zero
What the heck "Batman: Patient Zero," you ask!? Well, lemme answer that one for ya, fellow readers and Harley lovers! It's a soon-to-be released Batman short film created by some of my awesome friends who went to the same college as me. NYC-based actress Sarah Grace Sanders is playing the lovely yet devilish lady!
I even got the scoop from the director and one of the makeup artists of the movie about this brand new version of Harley Quinn:
"We looked at the history of Harley's wardrobe and styles and decided on a look that is both fresh but also represents the her clearly and in a way that fans can easily recognize. My main concern was to avoid over sexualization. Harley is a characters that has fallen victim to over sexualization over time and I wanted my version of Harley to portray her attitude more than just her body. Of course, we made sure her costume leaves just the right amount to be desired, but we did it in a tasteful manner. We also wanted to avoid any current styles that appear in both the comics, as well as cinema [Suicide Squad] so we revisited the classic black and red color scheme for Harley." - Andrew Akler, Director
"... I have a history in stage and costume makeup from high school, and I love theatrical looks, and Patient Zero was the perfect catalyst for that ... The makeup itself on set took three hours to do, along with her hair, but it was worth it. Both Nicole, Elana and I agreed Harley's smile is what stood out the most, as well as her hair, which was painted with red and black on either side." - Niki Rihal, Hair/Makeup Artist
The wonderfully talented Sarah provided her own patent leather, black Doc Maartens for the costume; and when she was prepping for her audition, the Harley voice she used was modeled after Arleen Sorkin - the voice actress of Harley in the video game "Arkham Asylum!" In fact, she even had a Harley audition the year before landing the role in BPZ:
"I had auditioned for her in another project summer 2015 and was bummed when I didn't get the part after the Callback. Then this project came along and it was even better, complete with talented cast and crew and amazing writing. It goes to show you as an actor that things will come back around. I had already prepped and gotten into this character so much that when I walked in the room for BPZ, I knew I had this in the bag." - Sarah Grace Sanders
And here's what she had to say about being a fierce, female super-villain:
"Filming BPZ was SO MUCH FUN! Being in the abandoned hospital was totally creepy, but really got us into character. I think I had the most fun fighting Johnny [McGee], who played Batman and also doing all my 'behind the scenes' promos at 4am after a 12 hour shoot. I'm really looking forward to seeing the film."
"Batman: Patient Zero" won first prize at the Fan Fiction Screenwriting Film Festival in 2015. The film will be released on social media this September. For more details and the latest information about BPZ, visit the project's FaceBook page!
Well, I hope ya enjoyed readin' Harley Quinn's fabulous look book! Now if ya excuse me, I gotta find Mistah J - I've been lookin' all over for him!
Oh Puddin'! Where are ya...?
-- Haley Quinn xo