Here’s Margot Robbie’s Theory On Why Joker’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Screen Time Was Shortened

Joker’s fans are not particularly happy after realizing that the villain had lesser screen time than the rest of the gang. Jared Leto previously said that many of his character’s scenes did not make it to the silver screen.

Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn, has a theory on why the Clown Prince of Crime’s screen time was shortened.

In an interview with Tipsy Talk, Robbie theorized that the filmmakers are so committed to making the film coherent that they needed to make the necessary cuts.

“They probably realized that the emotional through-line of the story had to be the mission that we were on, and explaining the Enchantress’ position and all that kind of stuff. And the [Harley and Joker] backstory stuff, though it’s magic and some of the stuff we shot was insane, they are flashbacks … so there’s a lot, but it just didn’t make sense to confuse the present storyline to incorporate all that.”

Since Joker did not get much exposure, Robbie is open to the possibility of having another film that solely focuses on Harley and Joker. “There’s just so much more to do,” she said.

It is likely for Robbie to fulfill her wish, as it was confirmed earlier this year that the big bosses already expressed interest for the project. It was Robbie who reportedly approached DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. after being charmed by DC Comics’ array of female characters. Details are not yet revealed, but the spin-off would also feature other DC characters.

Leto did not question the filmmakers’ decision to remove more than 10 minutes of his filmed material from the final cut. In an interview with Collider, he said that he played a major part in deciding if those footages would come out.

“Just because something’s cool and charismatic doesn’t mean it gets to survive in the final cut. The flow of the movie is the highest master.”

However, Leto seemed disappointed for he told BBC Radio 1 that “there’s probably enough footage in this film for a Joker movie.” Such reaction is normal, because Leto spent months preparing for the infamous role.

One disgruntled fan is also suing the studio for “false advertising.” The Joker fan argued that the trailers showed the villain unleashing terror here and there – something that heightened his eagerness to watch Suicide Squad.

The fan used Reddit as an avenue for his outcry.

“Suicide Squad trailers showcased several SPECIFIC Joker scenes that I had to pay for the whole movie just so that I can go watch those SPECIFIC SCENES that WB/DC had advertised in their trailers and TV spots.”

He also enumerated several scenes that were shown in the trailers, but absent in the movie.

“When Joker banged his head on his car window, when Joker says, ‘Let me show you my toys,’ when Joker punches the roof of his car, when Joker drops a bomb with his face all messed up and says, “BYE BYE!”. None of these scenes were in the movie.”

He was upset that he had to drive 300 miles from Scotland to London just to see the film on time.

Despite its stellar box office earnings, Suicide Squad is on the receiving end of overwhelmingly negative reviews.

Jay Hernandez, who gave life to El Diablo’s character, said he was initially bothered by the critics but at the end of the day, they all “worked hard and tried to give the fans what they wanted.”

Even if there’s an abundance of fans claiming that their expectations weren’t met cinematically, Will Smith, who plays Deadshot, still lauded Suicide Squad director David Ayer for weaving the stories of 10 different characters.

[Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Carrera]