15 Actresses Perfect for the Role of Harley Quinn in the DCU

Harley Quinn is a psychiatrist-turned–wild card from Gotham City who has appeared across comics, animation, and live-action, crossing paths with figures from the Batman mythos and groups like Task Force X. The character balances clinical intelligence, slapstick violence, and criminal capers with stories that trace her break from the Joker, alliances with Poison Ivy, and ties to teams such as the Birds of Prey.

As the DCU charts new stories, this role draws on action, comedy, and drama while connecting to canon that spans ensemble films and character-led projects. The actresses below have bodies of work that include action-forward storytelling, ensemble dynamics, and character studies under prominent directors and writers, with credits that illustrate skills used in narratives set in Gotham City and beyond.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie portrayed Harley Quinn in ‘Suicide Squad’, ‘Birds of Prey’, and ‘The Suicide Squad’, playing the former Arkham psychiatrist as a central figure in missions tied to Task Force X and to Gotham crime boss Roman Sionis. ‘Suicide Squad’ was written and directed by David Ayer; ‘Birds of Prey’ was directed by Cathy Yan from a screenplay by Christina Hodson; ‘The Suicide Squad’ was written and directed by James Gunn and features Task Force X operations led by Amanda Waller.

Robbie’s additional credits include ‘I, Tonya’, directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Steven Rogers, and ‘Barbie’, directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. ‘I, Tonya’ dramatizes the life of figure skater Tonya Harding with an ensemble including Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney, while ‘Barbie’ follows a doll’s journey into the human world with Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Simu Liu among the cast.

Samara Weaving

Samara Weaving headlined ‘Ready or Not’, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, playing a bride hunted by her new in-laws in a lethal hide-and-seek ritual. She has genre credits in ‘Mayhem’ from director Joe Lynch, ‘The Babysitter’ from director McG, and ‘Guns Akimbo’ from director Jason Lei Howden.

Weaving appears in ‘Scream VI’ from the Radio Silence team and in Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’. Her television work includes roles in ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’, ‘SMILF’, ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, and ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’, the last developed by David E. Kelley and John-Henry Butterworth from Liane Moriarty’s novel.

Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer starred as Villanelle in ‘Killing Eve’, a series developed for television by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and based on Luke Jennings’s novels, opposite Sandra Oh’s intelligence officer Eve Polastri. The show’s early creative leadership included head writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, with later seasons led by Emerald Fennell, Suzanne Heathcote, and Laura Neal.

Comer’s film credits include ‘The Last Duel’, directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, which tells intersecting accounts surrounding a medieval accusation. She also co-starred in ‘Free Guy’, directed by Shawn Levy, playing a programmer whose code powers an open-world video game inhabited by Ryan Reynolds’s NPC character.

Anya Taylor-Joy

Anya Taylor-Joy led ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, created by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, portraying chess prodigy Beth Harmon in a character study that follows tournaments, mentorship, and addiction. She appears in ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’, directed by George Miller from a screenplay by Miller and Nico Lathouris, set in the wasteland mythology of the ‘Mad Max’ franchise.

Additional credits include ‘The Witch’ and ‘The Northman’, both directed by Robert Eggers, with the latter co-written by Eggers and Sjón and featuring a Scandinavian revenge narrative. Taylor-Joy also stars in ‘The Menu’, directed by Mark Mylod, and voices Princess Peach in ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’.

Chloë Grace Moretz

Chloë Grace Moretz starred in ‘Kick-Ass’, directed by Matthew Vaughn, playing Hit-Girl in a vigilante narrative adapted from the comic by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Nicolas Cage. She headlined ‘Carrie’, directed by Kimberly Peirce and based on Stephen King’s novel, and appeared in ‘Let Me In’, directed by Matt Reeves and adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist’s work.

Moretz led ‘The Peripheral’, developed by Scott B. Smith from William Gibson’s novel, as a gamer pulled into future conflicts via immersive technology. She has additional credits in ‘Hugo’, directed by Martin Scorsese, which follows a Parisian train-station mystery tied to early cinema, with Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield in key roles.

Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney appears in ‘Euphoria’, created by Sam Levinson, which tracks a group of students navigating addiction, relationships, and family dynamics led by Zendaya’s character Rue. She also appears in ‘The White Lotus’, created by Mike White, an anthology following guests and staff at a luxury resort.

Sweeney headlined ‘Immaculate’, directed by Michael Mohan from a screenplay by Andrew Lobel, in a thriller set within an Italian convent. She appears in ‘Madame Web’, directed by S. J. Clarkson, a film set within the Spider-Man universe that features Dakota Johnson, Tahar Rahim, and Isabela Merced among the ensemble.

Kaley Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco voices Harley Quinn in the animated series ‘Harley Quinn’, developed by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey, with Lake Bell voicing Poison Ivy and Alan Tudyk voicing multiple Batman-related characters. The series follows Harley’s life after breaking from the Joker and her involvement with Gotham’s criminal world.

Cuoco also starred in ‘The Flight Attendant’, developed by Steve Yockey from Chris Bohjalian’s novel, playing a cabin crew member drawn into an international murder investigation with an ensemble including Zosia Mamet and Michelle Gomez. Earlier, she played Penny in ‘The Big Bang Theory’, created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, a sitcom centered on a group of scientists and their personal lives.

Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh starred in ‘Midsommar’, written and directed by Ari Aster, which follows a trip by a group of friends to a secluded Swedish festival with escalating rituals and psychological horror. She appeared in ‘Little Women’, written and directed by Greta Gerwig from Louisa May Alcott’s novel, portraying Amy March in a family saga with Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, and Timothée Chalamet.

Pugh joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ‘Black Widow’, directed by Cate Shortland, playing Yelena Belova opposite Scarlett Johansson in a spy-action story involving former Red Room operatives. She appears in ‘Oppenheimer’, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, as Jean Tatlock in a biographical drama featuring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey Jr.

Joey King

Joey King starred in ‘The Act’, created by Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean, portraying Gypsy Rose Blanchard in a limited series based on true events, opposite Patricia Arquette’s Dee Dee Blanchard. She co-starred in ‘Bullet Train’, directed by David Leitch, an action-comedy set aboard a Japanese high-speed train with assassins played by Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Brian Tyree Henry.

King headlined ‘The Princess’, directed by Le-Van Kiet, playing a royal who fights off invaders in a medieval-fantasy setting. Additional credits include appearances in ‘The Conjuring’, directed by James Wan, in a haunted-house narrative that follows investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

Elle Fanning

Elle Fanning led ‘The Great’, created by Tony McNamara, portraying Catherine in a satirical retelling of court politics with Nicholas Hoult as Peter III. The series presents palace intrigue, coups, and alliances within a comedic framework.

Fanning played Princess Aurora in ‘Maleficent’, directed by Robert Stromberg, a reimagining of the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ tale centered on Angelina Jolie’s title character, and appeared in ‘The Neon Demon’, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a psychological horror story set in the Los Angeles fashion industry.

Ana de Armas

Ana de Armas played Marta Cabrera in ‘Knives Out’, written and directed by Rian Johnson, a whodunit featuring an ensemble including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, and Jamie Lee Curtis. She appeared as Paloma in ‘No Time to Die’, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, assisting James Bond in a mission that involves espionage operations and bio-weapon threats.

De Armas starred in ‘Blonde’, written and directed by Andrew Dominik and based on Joyce Carol Oates’s novel, portraying a fictionalized version of Marilyn Monroe’s life in Hollywood. She also appeared in ‘Blade Runner 2049’, directed by Denis Villeneuve, as Joi in a science-fiction narrative featuring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.

Maya Hawke

Maya Hawke portrays Robin Buckley in ‘Stranger Things’, created by Matt and Ross Duffer, joining the series as a Scoops Ahoy coworker who becomes an ally in the fight against entities from the Upside Down. The ensemble includes Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and David Harbour.

Hawke appears in ‘Asteroid City’, written and directed by Wes Anderson, an ensemble film with Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hanks. She has roles in ‘Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood’, directed by Quentin Tarantino, and ‘Do Revenge’, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, a teen dark-comedy involving a pact between students.

Kiernan Shipka

Kiernan Shipka starred in ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’, developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa from Archie Comics, portraying the title witch as she navigates covens, infernal politics, and human friendships. The series features Miranda Otto, Lucy Davis, and Chance Perdomo in major roles.

Shipka played Sally Draper on ‘Mad Men’, created by Matthew Weiner, a period drama following the advertising industry and the Draper family with Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss among the leads. She also headlined ‘Totally Killer’, directed by Nahnatchka Khan, a time-travel slasher that sends a teen back to stop a serial killer tied to her mother’s past.

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld appeared in ‘True Grit’, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and adapted from Charles Portis’s novel, as a determined teenager hiring a U.S. Marshal to find her father’s killer, with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon in supporting roles. She starred in ‘Bumblebee’, directed by Travis Knight, a ‘Transformers’ prequel focusing on a bond between a teenager and an Autobot.

Steinfeld voices Gwen Stacy in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ and ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’, animated films featuring multiverse variants and an ensemble that includes Shameik Moore and Oscar Isaac. She plays Kate Bishop in ‘Hawkeye’, a Marvel series created for television with Jonathan Igla as head writer, pairing the character with Clint Barton in a holiday-set crime story.

Emma Stone

Emma Stone starred in ‘La La Land’, written and directed by Damien Chazelle, which follows an aspiring actor and a jazz musician balancing careers and relationships, with Ryan Gosling co-starring and original songs integrated into the narrative. She appeared in ‘The Favourite’, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, portraying Abigail Hill in a court rivalry opposite Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz.

Stone led ‘Cruella’, directed by Craig Gillespie, an origin story tracing the rise of a fashion designer who becomes the antagonist of the ‘101 Dalmatians’ canon, with Emma Thompson co-starring. She reunited with Yorgos Lanthimos in ‘Poor Things’, adapted from Alasdair Gray’s novel, featuring a cast that includes Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.

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