Margot Robbie Says 'Birds Of Prey' Is "Definitely Less Male Gaze-y" Than 'Suicide Squad'

Margot Robbie is on the verge of yet another major film being released, with her collaboration with Quentin Tarantino in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” arriving in July. However, for comic book fans, all eyes are on the upcoming “Birds of Prey,” coming in February. But as Robbie says in a new interview, “Birds of Prey” is a different beast than what comic book fans might be expecting considering Hollywood’s history and, of course, 2016’s “Suicide Squad.”

Speaking to Vogue, the Oscar-nominated actress discussed “Birds of Prey” and what makes the $75 million film different than a “chick flick,” despite its female-led cast. “Birds of Prey” stars Robbie, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, and Ewan McGregor, and tells the story of a group of female heroes that band together to take down the evil Black Mask.

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“Birds of Prey” was conceived and pitched by Robbie, who serves as one of the film’s producers, as well as the star. And a large part of the pitch for the studio was the fact that the actress wanted the superhero action film to be R-rated. Why? Well, Robbie thinks that anything softer than an R rating would have given audiences some preconceived notions.

“I think there’s a perception that a PG female-led action film is kind of considered a chick flick,” said Robbie.

But the rating isn’t the only part of “Birds of Prey” that attempting to buck expectations. You see, even just a few years ago, if audiences heard that three beautiful actresses would play superheroes in a team-up film, film fans’ minds would be flooded of imagery that would be better suited for a Michael Bay action film, specifically shots of butts and cleavage, with the stars in as little clothing as possible.

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However, in “Birds of Prey,” that’s not the case. And the costume designer, Erin Benach, says that’s down to the folks that actually developed the film.

“That’s what happens when you have a female producer, director, writer,” said Benach.

Robbie concurs, and added, “Yeah, it’s definitely less male gaze–y.”

Fans of Robbie and the DC comics that inspired the film will have to wait and see what she has up her sleeve when “Birds of Prey” hits theaters on February 7, 2020.