Filmmaker Kevin Smith has shared the story of the first time his daughter Harley Quinn Smith met Margot Robbie, the actress who brought the live-action Harley Quinn to life on the big screen. As a lifelong comic book fan, it was not particular shocking when Kevin Smith named his daughter after the popular DC character. As someone who turned out to be a huge fan of comics and in particular the Harley character, Harley Quinn Smith couldn't seem to be happier with her name.
In a new interview on The Ankler Hot Seat Podcast (via JustJared), Smith explains what happened when his daughter met Robbie several years back. When Suicide Squad was released in 2016, the Smiths were able to attend the premiere. As a big Harley Quinn fan, Harley Quinn Smith was insistent on having her dad introduce her to Robbie. Normally, father Kevin doesn't like to pressure celebrities into these kinds of meetings, but young Harley was deadset on making it happen.
“Margot Robbie was so nice. My kid was young when Suicide Squad came out and stuff and we went to the premiere, and the kid was like all about Margot Robbie… and I was like, ‘Well, you know, if we see her at the premiere, like you could say hi,’ and she’s like,’ You have to introduce me.’ I was like, ‘I don’t do that sh-t. You could say hi, I don’t f–king bug famous people and sh-t.’ And she was like, ‘No, you have to.’”
Seeing how important this was for his daughter, Smith approached someone involved with the premiere to kindly ask for the introduction. Fortunately, Robbie was thrilled when she heard about Harley Quinn Smith wanting to meet her, and the two quickly bonded as a pair of Harley Quinns.
“And so when we were there, like I, I saw somebody’s publicist, somebody’s f–king whatever. F–k. Who was like taking care of us, ‘Kevin, this way into the VIP.' I was like, ‘Hey man, like I hate to be pain in the ass. But if Margot ever shows up, like my kid is a massive f–king Harley Quinn fan.And so she showed up, and eventually that person like brought — f–king beelined over to me — and said, ‘Come on, bring Harley,’ and went over. And Margot met Harley and was like, ‘Oh my God, they tell me you’re Harley Quinn. I’m Harley Quinn too!’ And blah, blah, blah. And had this cute conversation.”
Margot Robbie Remembered the "Real Harley Quinn"
The sweet story doesn't end there, as the two Harleys would later reunite on the set of the Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. While on location, Harley Quinn Smith was surprised by Robbie approaching her and addressing her as the "real Harley Quinn," and Kevin Smith commends the actress for making the gesture.
“So, years later the kid is in, my kid, you know, she becomes an actress, and she is in Quentin’s movie… She’s on the set of Once upon time in [Hollywood], she’s in the makeup trailer, and she crosses over with Margot, who of course is like also — not also in movie, the star of that f–king movie — my kid is also in the movie. Margot says, without missing a beat, ‘Oh, the real Harley Quinn!’ And my kid like, could not f–king believe that she remembered and sh-t. [Margot] was like, ‘We met at the premiere’— really, that’s class act right there."
Harley Quinn Smith most recently appeared in KillRoy Was Here, a horror comedy anthology film directed by her father. As for Robbie, who reprised her role as Harley Quinn in last year's The Suicide Squad, is currently working on Greta Gerwig's Barbie alongside Ryan Gosling. That film will be released in July 2023.