To quote NewNowNext, is “Birds of Prey” simply badass or queer-baiting?
“Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn” (full title) is set to premiere soon. However, it’s interesting to note that the latest topic of discussion is surrounding Roman Sionis aka Black Mask.
Played by Ewan McGregor, the Clown Queen of Crime and the rest of the Birds will be facing off against the slightly lesser-known big-screen villain. During a recent interview, Variety quizzed McGregor on whether his Black Mask character and fellow villain Victor Zsasz (played Chris Messina) are lovers.
“So are you guys gay in the movie?” reporter Marc Malkin asked. “It’s very complicated,” McGregor said. “Their relationship is very much based…there’s a want and a need in there for sure.” Messina added, “There’s like a real love of anarchy.” McGregor then finished with, “More than likely, yes.”
So it appears that Roman Sionis and Victor Zsasz’s “speculated romance” will left up to audiences’ interpretation on how they see fit. Having said that, Comic Book Movie pointed out that Renee Montoya’s sexuality won’t be a question mark as it is already known that comedian Ali Wong plays the character’s ex-girlfriend.
“Birds of Prey” takes place after “Suicide Squad” but it isn’t sticking to a rigid timeframe. Although Jared Leto’s Joker isn’t going to be in this DC film, his presence will play a role to Black Mask’s madness.
“He has to be in absolute control,” McGregor explained. “He’s insane when he’s not in control. We only see him in his club, in his car, in his apartment – or at the end when he’s running around. But really I feel like we only ever see him in places he controls. And then Harley comes into this world and she’s uncontrollable. It drives him mad. He hates it.”
The 48-year-old continued, “It plays into the exploration of misogyny in the film. He’s only ever put up with Harley because she was Joker’s girlfriend. So that was the only reason he ever put up with her, because (Joker) was all-powerful. But as soon as (Roman) realises that Harley’s man is out of the picture, she becomes a problem. That makes him a true misogynist. Harley is trying to find her freedom – the emancipation of Harley Quinn, right? She’s trying to find her voice. She’s not getting her power from her partner anymore.”
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Are you excited for “Birds of Prey”?
Source: Comic Book Movie.
