Margot Robbie Reveals: The Penguin Was Originally Meant to Be the Villain in Birds of Prey
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell spent a lot of time together while filming the romantic fantasy A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. However, it wasn’t until their recent interview with Entertainment Weekly that they discussed their shared Gotham history.
Robbie, who played Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey, asked Farrell—who won an Emmy for his role in The Penguin: “Have we ever talked about Harley and Penguin?” Farrell replied: “I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s ever come up.” Robbie continued: “We’ve talked a lot, but I don’t think we’ve discussed that. It’s so strange.”
When Farrell began explaining that the two characters exist “in very different realms and parallel worlds,” Robbie interrupted to reveal that they could have actually shared the screen back in 2020.
She said: “In the first draft Christina [Hodson] wrote for Birds of Prey, Penguin was the villain.” Farrell, surprised, responded: “No way! Really?”
Robbie explained: “But then Matt Reeves said, ‘Don’t use Penguin. I want to use him in my project.’ So we replaced him with Black Mask.”
Farrell then asked Robbie what that version of Penguin was like: “Do you still have a copy of that script?” Robbie answered: “Yeah, it’s probably on my computer. You can read it.”
Beyond Birds of Prey, Robbie has portrayed Harley Quinn in both the 2016 and 2021 versions of The Suicide Squad. Recently, DC Studios head James Gunn hinted that Robbie may reprise the role in the new DC Universe: “It will become clear as we move forward.”
Farrell first appeared as Penguin in The Batman (2022) and returned in the acclaimed spinoff series in 2024.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey will be released on September 19.
