Margot Robbie is phenomenal as DCEU's Harley Quinn, but Warner Bros. also considered other actresses for the role before casting her. Debuting in David Ayer's Suicide Squad from 2016 as part of the titular team, Harley was easily the standout in the ensemble film (alongside Will Smith's Deadshot). While the movie also introduced Jared Leto's Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime was barely in the narrative, allowing the movie to establish Harley's place in the franchise without him. The couple was supposed to headline their own spin-off film, but the project continues to be stuck in limbo with no significant movement.
As the public waits to learn if the Harley Quinn and Joker film will push through, Warner Bros. capitalized on the former's popularity by producing the all-female offshoot: the well-received Birds of Prey from director Cathy Yan. While the film didn't do that well at the box office, it was a hit for critics, further elevating people's interest in Harley Quinn and her future adventures. Now, the anti-hero's next big screen outing will be on James Gunn's The Suicide Squad set to release next year.
It's no secret that much of the reason for the success of the DCEU's Harley Quinn can be chalked up to Robbie's performance. Despite starring in just two films, she's become a fan-favorite. Given this, it's safe to say that Warner Bros. will keep her in the role for a long time — but Robbie wasn't the only actress the studio was considering for the part. Emma Roberts was reportedly offered the gig, but she passed up on the opportunity wanting to focus on Fox's satirical horror-comedy show Scream Queens (2015-2016) in which she played Chanel Oberlin. In hindsight, that may not be the best decision since the show was canceled after just two seasons. Since then, she's appeared in American Horror Story: Cult (2017), American Horror Story: Apocalypse (2018), and American Horror Story: 1984 (2019). Roberts has also starred in films like Who We Are Now (2017), Billionaire Boys Club (2018), and UglyDolls (2019).
Rooney Mara, on the other hand, was supposedly on Warner Bros. shortlist for Harley Quinn but she didn't make it the screen test phase. Interestingly, the actress is the real-life partner of Joaquin Phoenix who played the Clown Prince of Crime in the DCEU-separate Todd Phillips-directed Joker — which would have made for an interesting connection had she nabbed the part. Since the release of Suicide Squad, Mara has appeared in films such as Song To Song (2017) and Mary Magdalene (2018).
Like Mara, Alison Brie was said to be part of Warner Bros.' top picks to play Harley Quin in Suicide Squad but the actress was also passed up for the role. Since losing the gig to Robbie, she has starred in several big screen projects like The Disaster Artist (2017), The Post (2017), and Netflix's Horse Girl (2020) — which she co-produced and co-wrote as well. She currently appears in Netflix's comedy-drama focused on the 1980s women's wrestling circuit GLOW.
Finally, Amanda Seyfried reportedly auditioned for the role of Harley Quinn, but Warner Bros. ultimately chose Robbie over the Mamma Mia! star. It's unknown why Seyfried didn't get the part considering her extensive Hollywood resume and acting range, not to mention physical similarities to the DC anti-heroine. That said, considering how great Robbie ultimately is in the role, perhaps the studio was just set on casting the Australian actress for the part. Since then, Seyfried has done quite a few other projects including Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019), and You Should Have Left (2020). She's also appeared in Twin Peaks (2017) and provided the voice of Elle in Family Guy (2018).
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