Harley Quinn, the Joker’s equally deranged and dangerous sidekick, has taken center stage in the new trailer for upcoming DC film Suicide Squad.

In the new clip, the villainess (played by Margot Robbie) shows off her fighting skills in an elevator, as well as her ability to use a baseball bat quite efficiently. Of course this is Harley Quinn, so everything she does has a tinge of insanity in it. At one point she even licks the bars in her prison cell and tells one of the guards “I’m bored, play with me.”

Playing such a complex and insane character was not easy for actress Margot Robbie, who had to open up to Director David Ayers’ method of bringing out the performance he wants from his actors.

“They were technically rehearsals, but not really. It was much more about David spending time going through everyone’s lives, connecting our life experiences to our character’s life experiences and finding those parallels,” Will Smith, who plays sharpshooter Deadshot in the film, said of the Director’s method.

“I don’t think people realize how much these people live out of suitcases and just show up. If you can give them a sense of connection and family and build support around them, then you get the trust. I think trust drives performance.” said Ayers.

As for Robbie she found the idea of revealing herself a little bit unnerving. “It was a pretty vulnerable place to go,” she said. “He wants to know about your personal history and your relationships and your childhood, things like that that you don’t really want to tell a stranger. And then you have to share that with the rest of your squad as well. I really didn’t like that.”

“It can’t be (comfortable) You’ve got to open up,” Ayers explains. “Actors are super cagey. ‘I’m not going to let you see any of my tools until I get to set and then I’m going to surprise you because they are so awesome.’”

It is very interesting to note, since this is a large blockbuster film. And oftentimes films of this scale would often focus too much on the big picture, special effects and story line. Which leaves little time to fully delve into the characters. It is refreshing to see a director of a movie like this, get down to basics and fully commit to bring out a performance from each of his actors like a small independent film.

Well if Robbie’s acting chops as Harley Quinn in the new trailer is an indication, then Ayers may have succeeded. Let us just hope it translates towards the entire movie.

Suicide Squad is set to hit cinemas on August 5.