Stars Who Almost Played Harley Quinn

There hasn’t been a role in recent memory that was so hotly desired in Hollywood as that of the Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn. Not only is the character a fan favorite, but she’s a complicated female in an action movie, which is unfortunately rare. The stars who almost played Harley Quinn aren’t just surprising - even the thought of putting some of them into the context of Harley completely changes the dynamic of the film. While Margot Robbie finally won the breakout part of Suicide Squad, there’s an astounding amount of talent in this collection of women who almost played comic book characters.

One of the craziest things about the actresses on this list is that at least one of them was offered the part of Harley Quinn but turned it down. Can you imagine how amazing it would be to be known as the Harley Quinn actress? You can let us know in the comments if you think the reasoning behind the actress in question’s decision was right or not. Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn, has said that she never auditioned for the part, but after seeing this long list of actresses who were almost in Suicide Squad that kind of feels like a big fat lie. Vote on the actresses you would have liked to see play Harley Quinn, and if you’ve done some of your own fantasy casting tell us about it in the comments. 

There were a lot (like, a lot a lot) of actresses were considered for the role of Harley Quinn. And while Seyfried has so many wonderful roles under her belt (her role in Veronica Mars is a particular stand out), could she possibly stand up to the star power of an actress like Margot Robbie?

Suicide Squad could have been an entirely different film if Emma Roberts had accepted the role of Harley Quinn when it was offered to her. But the star wanted to work on Fox's Scream Queens rather than dedicate herself to DC's intense contractual obligations.

We know that Evan Rachel Wood has a dark side from her time dabbling with the goth side of life when she dated Marilyn Manson. While there are rumors that she was considered for the role, she probably didn't make the short list. But we have no doubt that she would have been great.

Imogen Poots has been burning up the indie world. She completely astounded audiences with her ability to handle ferocious violence in Green Room and she definitely could have handled swinging a baseball bat around in the Squad.

Katee Sackhoff is a giant nerd. Huge. After playing Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica she immediately started campaigning to play Harley Quinn. In 2013, she told Esquire, “I love Harley Quinn. I do. I just love it…It’s not been done before. It’s this fantastic mix. I mean, it’s like the female Joker. Who wouldn’t want to do that? Quite potentially — it’s not around so I wouldn’t feel the weight of it — I’d probably sell my first born at this point to do that.”

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is another indie darling that many people presumed would make a jump to superstardom by playing Harley Quinn. While she auditioned for the role, it seems like she either opted to work on weird fare like 10 Cloverfield Lane, or she just wasn't right for the part. Either way it worked out.

Olivia Wilde and Margot Robbie have been in consideration for a lot of the same roles. Most famously, Robbie was chosen to appear opposite of Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street because Olivia Wilde was deemed to be too old. Who knows what Wilde could have brought to the role of Harley Quinn?

Sara Paxton is most well known for her work in the world of horror, but it's no surprise that she auditioned for the part of Harley Quinn. She looks just like the character and even kind of has the voice.

Lily Collins may be the daughter of Phil Collins, but for whatever reason the folks over at DC didn't feel her audition calling in the air tonight. Oh wow. Sorry.

When it was announced that Cara Delevingne was going to appear in Suicide Squad everyone thought she would be playing Harley Quinn. It was only that we realized that she'd be playing the villain Enchantress.