Kaley Cuoco’s cartoon portrayal of Harley Quinn on DC Universe would’ve sounded a whole lot different had the producers gotten their way in the beginning.
"There have been so many Harley Quinns, and obviously with Suicide Squad Margot [Robbie] was playing her so incredibly well and so specific, that I didn’t want her to sound like anybody else," Cuoco told EW. "They initially wanted me to do a strong Boston accent, but I told [co-showrunners] Justin [Halpern] and Patrick [Schumacker], ‘my voice is a little recognizable, and I think it’s gonna be silly if we pretend it’s anything other than Kaley playing this role.’ So it really just became mostly me screaming."
When Cuoco, who is best known for her time on the Big Bang Theory, was cast in the titular role of DC Universe’s Harley Quinn, she had originally planned on making the character her own. However, using a different accent had never been considered.
"It’s a lot of me, and I’ve kinda turned it into my own thing," she added. "The show is unique, it’s not Suicide Squad, it’s so different and obviously so insane, that we’re able to make it exactly what we wanted."
Cuoco made her debut as Harley Quinn in late 2019 and is set to reprise her role in an upcoming second season, which arrives in April. The show centers on the wild and crazy adventures of Harley and her powerful posse, which includes Poison Ivy, King Shark, Doctor Psycho and Clayface.
DC Universe's Harley Quinn stars Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Diedrich Bader, Alan Tudyk, Rahul Kohli, Christopher Meloni, Tony Hale, Ron Funches, Wanda Sykes, Natalie Morales, Jim Rash, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Alexander and J.B. Smoove. Season 2 premieres Friday, April 3.