17 Actresses Who’d Make a Great Harley Quinn

17 Actresses Who’d Make a Great Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn has become one of DC’s most beloved characters, evolving from the Joker’s sidekick to a complex anti-hero with her own distinct personality. With Margot Robbie’s iconic portrayal setting a high bar, fans often wonder which other actresses could bring their own special twist to the role. From established stars to rising talents, these actresses have the perfect mix of charisma, unpredictability, and emotional range to make Harley Quinn their own.

1. Anya Taylor-Joy

The haunting stare that made Anya Taylor-Joy unforgettable in The Queen’s Gambit would translate perfectly to Harley Quinn’s unhinged intensity. Her ability to shift between vulnerability and calculating coldness shows she could handle Harley’s complex psychology.

Taylor-Joy brings an otherworldly quality to her performances that would make her Harley feel dangerous and unpredictable. The actress has already proven she can balance likability with darkness – exactly what’s needed for a character who walks the line between villain and anti-hero.

Her ballet background would also serve the character’s acrobatic movements, bringing a graceful yet manic physicality that’s quintessentially Harley. With her distinctive features and chameleon-like acting range, Taylor-Joy could deliver a fresh, haunting interpretation.

2. Samara Weaving

Already proven she can wield a weapon while wearing a wedding dress in Ready or Not, Samara Weaving knows how to blend violence with humor. Her manic smile alone qualifies her for consideration, perfectly capturing that signature Harley Quinn unhinged grin that communicates both playfulness and danger.

Weaving excels at portraying characters who maintain their charm even while covered in blood. This balance of likability and lethal tendencies is exactly what makes Harley such an enduring character.

The Australian actress brings a physicality to action scenes that would serve Harley’s gymnastic fighting style well. Her comedic timing would nail Harley’s inappropriate jokes, while her emotional range could explore the character’s more vulnerable moments when she’s breaking free from the Joker’s influence.

3. Chloë Grace Moretz

Since her breakout role as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass, Chloë Grace Moretz has shown she can handle violent characters with surprising depth. Her experience playing complex characters who blend innocence with danger makes her a natural fit for Harley’s contradictory personality.

Moretz brings an unexpected sweetness that could highlight Harley’s more sympathetic qualities. She could convincingly portray both the psychiatrist Dr. Harleen Quinzel once was and the chaotic criminal she becomes.

Having grown up on camera, Moretz has developed remarkable range that would serve Harley’s emotional swings well. She could capture both the character’s playful side and the darker aspects of someone who’s experienced psychological manipulation and abuse, creating a Harley who’s simultaneously frightening and relatable.

4. Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh’s performance as the vengeful Dani in Midsommar demonstrated her ability to portray someone unraveling in spectacular fashion. Her range allows her to shift from sweet to terrifying in seconds – a perfect match for Harley’s mercurial nature.

Already part of the superhero world as Yelena Belova in the MCU, Pugh has proven she can deliver both action sequences and sharp comedic dialogue. Her Russian accent work shows she could nail Harley’s distinctive Brooklyn twang without making it cartoonish.

What would make Pugh’s Harley special is her talent for making even extreme characters feel grounded in reality. She could bring emotional authenticity to Harley’s trauma and recovery, while still embracing the character’s wild unpredictability and joy in chaos. Her Harley would likely feel both dangerous and deeply human.

5. Emma Stone

Emma Stone’s transformation into Cruella de Vil proved she can embody a gleefully unhinged villain with style and substance. Her ability to make even morally questionable characters likable through sheer charisma would work wonders for Harley Quinn.

Stone’s comedic background would bring out Harley’s humor – those inappropriate jokes and non-sequiturs that make the character so entertaining. Her expressive face could capture Harley’s rapid emotional shifts, from maniacal laughter to surprising vulnerability.

What makes Stone particularly interesting for the role is her skill at showing the intelligence behind seemingly erratic characters. She could highlight how Harley’s behavior, while chaotic, stems from a brilliant mind that processes the world differently. Stone would give us a Harley who’s not just crazy but crazy like a fox.

6. Hailee Steinfeld

Her experience in action roles means she could handle Harley’s acrobatic fight scenes with convincing athleticism.

Steinfeld brings a youthful energy that could work well for a Harley early in her criminal career. Her musical background could also be incorporated, perhaps giving us a Harley who expresses herself through twisted songs or uses music as part of her chaotic plans.

What would make Steinfeld’s interpretation unique is how she balances confidence with vulnerability. She could portray a Harley who maintains her bravado even while dealing with the aftermath of the Joker’s abuse, creating a character who’s simultaneously broken and rebuilding herself into something stronger.

7. Zendaya

Her portrayal of Rue in Euphoria demonstrates her ability to bring depth to characters struggling with their demons – a perfect foundation for Harley Quinn’s complex psychology. Her fashion-forward public image could translate into a stylishly unique take on Harley’s iconic look.

Already familiar with action sequences from her work in the Spider-Man franchise, Zendaya could handle Harley’s physical demands while bringing her own distinctive flair. Her natural charisma would make audiences root for Harley even at her most villainous moments.

What’s most exciting about the possibility of Zendaya as Harley is how she could modernize the character. She could create a Harley who’s still recognizable but feels fresh and relevant to today’s audiences, bringing nuance to the character’s mental health struggles while maintaining her unpredictable edge and dark humor.

8. Maya Hawke

Robin in Stranger Things reveales her talent for playing intelligent characters with offbeat charm and quick wit. Her performance in Do Revenge showed she can balance darkness with humor – essential qualities for anyone playing Harley Quinn.

Hawke brings a natural quirkiness that would suit Harley’s unpredictable nature. She could highlight the character’s intelligence, reminding audiences that before becoming the Joker’s accomplice, Harley was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist brilliant enough to work at Arkham Asylum.

The daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, Maya has inherited a screen presence that combines intensity with vulnerability. She could create a Harley who’s simultaneously threatening and sympathetic – a woman whose broken heart led her down a path of beautiful chaos, but who retains glimmers of the person she once was.

9. Bella Thorne

Fearlessness in taking on controversial roles and a willingness to transform physically make her an intriguing Harley Quinn candidate. That natural rebellious energy mirrors Harley’s defiance of social norms and feeds into her unpredictable behavior.

A background spanning both comedy and horror gives her the perfect foundation for Harley’s blend of hilarious and horrifying. She can turn violent outbursts into something believable while keeping audiences hooked with undeniable charm.

What makes her stand out is the potential to channel Harley’s sexuality as both power and play. Using appearance and allure strategically, she could craft a Harley who manipulates with wit and seduction—while having a blast doing it.

10. Kiernan Shipka

In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, she proved she can embody a character caught between light and darkness—an experience that translates perfectly to Harley’s own moral tug-of-war.

Having grown up on screen in Mad Men, she carries an emotional depth far beyond her years, giving her the ability to portray both Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s professional poise and the unsettling unraveling that follows her toxic bond with the Joker.

Her youthful appearance contrasts sharply with her mature acting range, echoing Harley’s own contradictions: childlike playfulness masking dangerous psychological complexity. That tension could make her take on Harley both magnetic and deeply unsettling.

11. Sophie Turner

Sophie Turner’s transformation from naive Sansa Stark to calculating power player in Game of Thrones demonstrates her ability to portray a character’s psychological evolution. This skill would be perfect for showing Harley’s journey from psychiatrist to criminal.

Turner’s experience playing Jean Grey in the X-Men films proves she can handle both emotional intensity and action sequences. Her natural regality could bring an interesting angle to Harley – perhaps a version who sees herself as criminal royalty rather than just the Joker’s girlfriend.

What makes Turner an unexpected but exciting choice is how she could emphasize Harley’s intelligence over her zaniness. She could create a more calculating Harley whose apparent madness hides strategic thinking, giving us a fresh take on a character who’s often reduced to just being crazy and unpredictable.

12. Sydney Sweeney

A breakout performance as Cassie in Euphoria highlights her gift for embodying characters pushed to emotional extremes. That ability to swing from fragile vulnerability to explosive rage would make her a natural fit for Harley’s mercurial personality.

Often drawn to roles where sweetness masks deeper psychological turmoil, she thrives on duality—the same contradiction at Harley’s core. Beneath the bubbly façade lies trauma and a dangerous capacity for violence, something she could bring to life with unnerving authenticity.

What makes her take especially intriguing is the chance to emphasize Harley’s desperate hunger for love and validation. By rooting Harley’s madness in a twisted desire to be adored, she could deliver a version of the character that’s both heartbreaking and terrifying.

13. Kristen Stewart

A shift from mainstream blockbuster star to indie favorite has shown her talent for inhabiting complex, edgy characters. That naturally restless energy could translate seamlessly into Harley’s manic movements and unpredictable behavior.

With a signature intensity, she has the ability to spotlight the darker layers of Harley’s fractured psychology. Her version of the character could feel more grounded in reality, offering a raw look at mental illness without losing the exaggerated flair that makes Harley so iconic.

What makes this take particularly compelling is the potential to subvert expectations. Instead of leaning into cartoonish chaos, she could create a subtle, unsettling Harley whose quiet moments are as unnerving as her violent outbursts—a villain who speaks softly while swinging a hammer.

14. Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer’s portrayal of Villanelle in Killing Eve feels like an audition for Harley Quinn already. Her ability to be simultaneously charming, terrifying, and hilarious perfectly matches Harley’s contradictory nature.

Comer’s talent with accents means she could nail Harley’s distinctive Brooklyn sound without making it cartoonish. Her physical commitment to roles suggests she could handle Harley’s acrobatic fighting style with convincing athleticism.

What makes Comer perhaps the most perfect casting on this list is her ability to make audiences root for a character who does terrible things. She could create a Harley who commits crimes with gleeful abandon yet remains sympathetic through her vulnerability and twisted sense of loyalty. Comer’s natural charisma would ensure that, like Villanelle, her Harley would be impossible to look away from.

15. Zoey Deutch

Zoey Deutch’s performance in Zombieland: Double Tap showcased her talent for rapid-fire dialogue and physical comedy – skills that would serve Harley Quinn’s motormouth tendencies perfectly. Her natural energy brings a manic quality that matches Harley’s hyperactive personality.

Deutch has a gift for making deeply flawed characters endearing, as seen in Buffaloed and Not Okay. This ability would help audiences connect with Harley despite her criminal activities and questionable choices.

What makes Deutch an intriguing choice is how she could emphasize Harley’s intelligence alongside her zaniness. She could portray a Harley whose stream-of-consciousness babbling actually contains brilliant insights, reminding us that beneath the chaos is the mind of a former psychiatrist who understands human behavior well enough to manipulate it.

16. Margaret Qualley

An offbeat screen presence and a knack for portraying unconventional characters make her a fascinating contender for Harley Quinn. Whether in Maid or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, she’s shown a magnetic unpredictability that could translate beautifully into Harley’s chaotic world.

Her performances often balance vulnerability with sharp bursts of intensity, a duality that mirrors Harley’s own mix of tenderness and danger. She could convincingly capture the psychiatrist-turned-criminal’s fractured psyche, shifting between disarming charm and sudden menace.

What sets her apart is the potential to bring an understated, almost eerie quality to the role. Rather than playing Harley at full volume, she might craft a quieter, more unsettling interpretation—one where every giggle or smirk hints at something darker simmering just beneath the surface.

17. Lady Gaga

A fearless performer with a flair for theatricality, she brings the kind of larger-than-life energy Harley Quinn demands. Already stepping into the role in Joker: Folie à Deux, she has the showmanship and boldness to make Harley her own.

Her ability to channel raw emotion through music and acting alike suggests a Harley that is not only chaotic but deeply expressive. She could amplify the character’s manic swings with both vulnerability and ferocity, turning every scene into a performance that feels electric.

What makes her especially exciting is the potential to lean into Harley’s dramatic, almost musical qualities. With her natural command of the stage, she could deliver a Harley who sings, laughs, and fights with equal passion—an unpredictable force who thrives on spectacle and shock.