Birds Of Prey: 10 Major New Details Revealed During The Press Tour
9. A Dog Was Used As A Double For Harley's Hyena
In the comics, Harley Quinn is often accompanied by two hyenas and the sight of those alongside the anti-hero has become an iconic piece of imagery. There will only be one in Birds of Prey, though, and rather than being called Bud or Lou, it's going to be "named after that hunky Wayne guy." It goes without saying that visual effects were used to bring "Bruce" to life but the story behind that makes for an amusing anecdote.
After explaining that two hyenas would have been too expensive for the production, Margot Robbie admitted to ComicBook.com that the crew struggled early on. "We went to go see a real-life hyena, there's a hyena in California that's appeared on screen before. Turns out, it was gonna be impossible to shoot with him because they're extremely dangerous and take ownership of anything they touch. So, if you put it on the couch, then it's gonna eat the couch. You can't get the couch back. It doesn't really work for filming."
As a result, "a really big dog" became the solution and "its fur was CGI'd, and body shape CGI'd to look like a hyena because the alternative is to have a dude in a green suit."
Having worked on The Legend of Tarzan, Robbie was all too aware of how awkward that alternative would be. "I remember watching Alex Skarsgard like, nuzzling with like, this big burly dude from South London. And I was just like, it's weird. It doesn't feel as authentic. So, I shared a Twizzler with a big dog, instead." It's a fascinating behind the scenes story and fair to say that those behind the scenes featurettes on the Blu-ray showing the actress hanging out with this dog should make for fun viewing!