Interview: 'Suicide Squad' Stars Margot Robbie And Jai Courtney Talk Jared Leto's Joker, Working With David Ayer, And The Possibility Of Sequels

Suicide Squad is packed with characters and stars who could command a film on their own, but part of the fun is seeing this chaotic mess of personalities clash and come together and clash again. We had the opportunity on set to interview two of them together: Margot Robbie, who plays iconic fan favorite Harley Quinn, and Jai Courtney, who plays a version of Captain Boomerang that you've definitely never met before. The actors discussed their stunts, the "skwad" camaraderie, Jared Leto's Joker, and — of course — the possibility of sequels. Read our Suicide Squad Margot Robbie and Jai Courtney interview below.Jai, which Captain Boomerang are you playing? Are you George "Digger" Harkness, who was the Captain Boomerang in the Suicide Squad comics, or are you a new character created specifically for this film?JC: I think it is somewhat of an amalgamation, I think is probably the fairest thing to say. I was curious about that. Look, I have my own ideas but we haven't set something up that we are bound by. David [Ayer] and I had a discussion about that early on. So, look, who knows? Within this property, I guess that leaves room and freedom in a sense to kind of go either way. But at this stage it is not necessarily specified.What does Boomerang think of Harley Quinn?MR: This I want to hear.JC: He thinks the truth.MR: My note towards Captain Boomerang when he walks in the script is, I think he's an idiot.JC: Well, you're wrong. Did she correct herself later on?MR: She has moments where she's like, he's funny, and then it goes back to her thinking he's an idiot.Can you talk about how your characters work together as a team?MR: Well, the Squad's together.JC: That's what I think makes this movie so fun is that there is so much antagonism between them all. We all have our roles to play amongst the group. I definitely pick up the kind of class clown slack at times. Harley has this great line where she says, "Your village in Australia is missing its idiot. You should call home." Which is a great line and rings true.MR: I think they've got like a brother/sister relationship. Where they just noodle at each other.JC: There is kind of like mutual respect amongst them all at a certain point and that not necessarily something that is there at the beginning but when they come around to the idea that they need to band together because in a way they are all they have. That is sort of one of the beautiful playoffs of this ensemble.Margot, you said you made a note in your script as to what your character thinks of Boomer. Did you make notes for all the characters?MR: Oh yeah. Whenever little scenes between them happen, I just write in the corner of my page what I think about them. At the beginning I decided how she feels about each character. For some reason I think she really likes Killer Croc and looks at him like a teddy bear. She looks at him and says, "I love him." And I think she thinks that El Diablo is the coolest one because he has the coolest superpower. Then it's a different thing with Deadshot. I think it's a brother/sister thing with Boomer because he either irritates her or she finds him funny and then he goes back to irritating her.Margot, what has it been like for you being the first actor to ever bring this iconic and beloved DC character to the big screen in live-action?MR: Yeah, I'm fortunate to be the first to do it because no one has set the bar remarkably high like they have with Joker, for example. So in that sense it is easier but I'm accurately aware of the fact that there is a massive fan base and I don't want to disappoint anyone. So it's terrifying, but like I said, it's nice to be the first one to do it.Can you talk about the camaraderie on set?JC: It's been one of those bizarrely pleasant experiences. We've all had, I think, varying types of experiences on films and spoke about it early on where its like you get on a film sometimes and you know its going to be good and you are working with a good group of people, but something happened early on. It was probably the rehearsal time that we were afforded, I think that meant that there was this period of concentration where we got to trust each other and coupled that with this lucky accident of the group that was assembled. We have just had a whole lot of fun.MR: I think it also helps that none of us are from Toronto. So when we finish a day of work you turn to each other and say, "What are you doing now? What are we doing this weekend?" And a lot of people are married with kids and stuff and if we were shooting in their hometown, they would go home to their significant other, their kids, their life, and their friends that they have known forever. But since we are all away from home you stick together even more.JC: It's like this obnoxious little family.MR: It's a bizarre family.Can you talk about how physically demanding this shoot has been?MR: I can barely move my neck at the moment. It's pretty physically demanding.We saw the stunt you did in the elevator yesterday.MR: We shot that for ten hours yesterday. That was crazy. At the time you never feel pain and then the next day you wake up and you're like, "Oh my God." That's why we have professionals.Jai, did you have to learn how to throw a boomerang?MR: We're Australian, we've been throwing boomerangs our whole lives.JC: I think everyone on this had to pick up a certain set of skills and work on stuff. There were physical demands, aesthetic expectations, and that's stuff that some of us have been working on for a long time, and some of us longer than others. Look its part of making these types of films these days, action movies. You know, when you are playing super heroes or comic book characters, there is absolutely an expectation to get your actors there as well. It's challenging at times but its part and parcel and part of the challenge you take on. I think its been fun. We've all pushed each other and our selves. That kind of feeds into the camaraderie as well, that process. Nobody has had it easy this entire time.Margot, can you talk about the dynamic between you and Jared [Leto]? We've heard that he stays in character the whole time, is that true?MR: Yeah, he's kind of terrifying. He's really lovely, though. He's very conscientious on set. He's not completely lost in the character that he's violent or anything. Between every take he asks if I'm okay, blah, blah, blah. So when I first heard that he was method, and that we couldn't refer to him as Jared and things like that, I started to panic a bit because I'm in an abusive relationship with this guy who thinks he is the character. I was worried I'd get beat up on set. But he's respectful, professional, and lovely. It is so incredible to watch him work because it is a really bizarre process and kind of fascinating. It's not a process that would work for me but I can see the way he does it and it clearly works for him. It's cool.One of the producers said that Jai is playing himself as Boomer. Jai, do you have a comment?MR: You are playing yourself a bit. You don't reckon? There is a lot you can draw from.JC: I think Jai Courtney the actor is actually the character and Boomerang is the man playing him. There is definitely some truth to that.MR: The accent is just a little stronger when you are acting like Boomer.JC: It's funny because I do feel closer to this than anything else I've done from a performance perspective. It's more of a character than anything I've had an opportunity to take on. But its actually closer to myself than any other role I've ever played.Why do you say that?JC: Because I'm a Bogan piece of shit.What's been the biggest surprise about being in a comic book movie for each of you?JC: I don't know if I came in with expectations. I was kind of opposed to the idea before this was ever conceptualized. It was David Ayer that was really the draw card. That was the only reason I was interested in the first place. I think that, and the property that we are working with, has meant that... I mean, I don't see a lot of comic book films. I didn't grow up reading comic books, so I'm not really part of that fan world; it's just not what I'm interested in as an audience member. And this has probably changed my perspective on that a little. I was probably guilty about having some ideas where those sorts of films were headed and what we're doing is really exciting and I think we're lucky to be part of this one.MR: I thought doing a comic book movie would be a very formulaic process, and so far this has been one of the most organic and spontaneous process that I have been through. Which, this is the sort of process I'd expect to do on a really cool, gritty indie film. And we're doing it on this massive budget film where there are so many people giving their opinions on what we're doing, what we're wearing, blah, blah, blah. But at the end of the day, they're kind of standing back and letting David do it the way he wants to do it. Fortunately for us, the way he wants to do it is a very raw, gritty way.JC: Just to elaborate on that, I think it is unfortunate that when you deal with franchise properties that sometimes directors are not always afforded the freedom to take total control and he has been and I think that's what makes the difference and changes the experience for everyone involved. It may be riskier from a studio perspective, but if they are trusting in his vision, and he executes it well, which we have no doubt he will, its going to be amazing and I think it makes for a more enriching experience.Obviously the plan is to try and make several sequels if this film is successful, how many films have you signed on for and how long can you see yourselves playing these characters?MR: Oh, I heard forever. I could play Harley for a long time. I don't know how long. We've signed on I think everyone is committed to a couple of films.JC: We're all around for a few more of these should they choose to make them and I hope they do because I'm having way too much fun not to make another.MR: And there is so much you can do. They are the kind of characters that you can keep exploring and find so much more to do.JC: I hope we're kicking about with this stuff for a while.MR: Until my body can't do the stunts anymore. That's probably when they will bring a new Harley in.

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Suicide Squad opens August 5.