Suicide Squad: Margot Robbie explains why dozens of Joker/Harley Quinn scenes didn't make the final cut

'They probably realised that the emotional through-line of the story had to be the mission'

Margot Robbie and Jared Leto as Harley Quinn and The Joker in Suicide Squad

Since the release of Suicide Squad, there’s been one common complaint: where was the Joker? He appeared on screen for a mere 15 minutes, yet was front and centre in the advertising, leading people to think Jared Leto’s villain would be one of the main characters.

Thankfully Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn in the film, has shed some light on why dozens of scenes featuring the Joker (which you can read about here) were cut.

“They probably realised 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,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

“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 story line to incorporate all that.”

Robbie isn’t the only actor happy to discuss the missing footage: Leto has spoken candidly about his scenes being deleted, revealing there is enough footage remaining to create a Joker film.

Recently, director David Ayer revealed how the Joker got his infamous ‘dangerous’ tattoo, while South African rappers Die Antwoord have claimed the director stole their style for the film.