Margot Robbie was almost where she needed to be.

Prior to beginning filming on “Suicide Squad,” the Australian actress had just about completed her transformation into Harley Quinn.

In preparation for the role, she delved into online forums to find out what it was fans loved most about the popular DC Comics character, who’s known as the Joker’s psychotic girlfriend. She was given stacks of comic books to study, admitting she had no intention to read every one, but she did anyway.

But even then, there was one aspect of Harley Quinn that Robbie just didn’t get: the Joker thing.

“I just didn’t understand how she could be (so tough) and then fall to pieces over some guy. I found that really frustrating,” Robbie says. “Fans seem to really love that about her, that she has this complete devotion to a guy that treats her badly.”

Robbie’s acting coach recommended she read a play called “Fool for Love,” about a couple in an extremely dysfunctional relationship. She then found herself researching “codependence.”

“Once I could view it in those terms, it suddenly made sense, and I suddenly had so much empathy for Harley and after that it was all very straightforward,” Robbie said. “It was fun after all that.”

Robbie spoke to The Washington Post about becoming Harley Quinn and her experiences while filming “Suicide Squad.”

Q: Were you aware of how popular Harley Quinn is among fans of comic book culture when you signed on to do ‘Suicide Squad’?

A: No, I wasn’t. I wasn’t familiar with the comics. I had vaguely heard of them, but I had no idea that there was such a big fan-base for Harley. I knew that it would be a big responsibility to do the character justice and satisfy the fans.

Q: When you saw the original Harley Quinn costume (from her cartoon debut), did you think, “Oh no, is that what I’m going to have to wear the entire movie?”

A: As I was reading all the comic books, she has tons of different outfits. In some comic books she’s wearing more of like a corset and mini-shorts, and in some she’s wearing the full jester outfit. I didn’t really know what exactly the costume was going to be, but I knew if (director) David (Ayer) was making the movie and his films are always pretty grounded in reality, I kind of had a feeling we weren’t going to be doing the polished comic book look. .

Q: David Ayer is a big fan of comic-book culture. Did that help as he was guiding you guys on the set and what did he ask you to bring to the role in your performance as Harley?

A: He wants (us) to spend a lot of time not just exploring the characters, but exploring yourself. It’s uncomfortable at first, and you have to go pretty deep, and you do feel very exposed and vulnerable, but the direction he gives, as a group, we’ve all gone that deep, we’ve all kind of exposed ourselves to each other, it’s incredibly effective, his way of directing.

Q: This will be the first time fans get to see a live-action version of the Joker and Harley Quinn together. What was it like bringing that relationship to life and filming your scenes with Jared (Leto)?

A: It was like having front row seats to an incredible show. (Leto’s) so committed, and he really raises the bar. When he’s playing the Joker, I don’t know what he’s going to do. We didn’t do rehearsals. It was all very in the moment. .

Q: What was the more difficult scene to film, the car chase that ends up underwater or the transformation scene where you dive into the vat of chemicals to bleach your skin?

A: (Laughs.) That chemical (scene) was the most unpleasant thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. So that was definitely my least favorite. It was like this gluggy paint stuff that was so far in my ears and up my nose, and I was choking on it underwater, and I couldn’t breathe, and I tried to open my eyes, and it would glaze over my eyeballs, and I could only see white. It was horrible.

The underwater scene, with the car crashing into the water, that was my favorite because I got to work with a free-diving expert and learn how to hold my breath underwater for a really long time. So that’s like my new party trick.