Kaley Cuoco talks Harley Quinn’s Metropolis move and ‘realistic’ Poison Ivy relationship

Harley Quinn is back — but now she's on Superman's turf. 

Season 5 of the adult animated series Harley Quinn premieres on Max this week, and it starts with a major move for the titular protagonist (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) and her girlfriend Poison Ivy (Lake Bell ). Fearing that their relationship is growing stale and bored of seeing the same old Gotham City faces over and over again, Harley and Ivy decide to spice things up by moving to Metropolis, the sunny city of the future that often feels like the polar opposite of Batman’s crime-infested hometown. 

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The Metropolis move means lots of changes in the show's superhero terrain. Viewers should expect to see more of Superman’s supporting cast in season 5 — like Lois Lane (Natalie Morales), Brainiac (Stephen Fry), and Lena Luthor (Aisha Tyler) — and a little less of the Bat-family. But Cuoco also likes the status-quo change-up for what it reflects about romance.

"I think it's hilarious that they’re moving to Metropolis to spice up their relationship. They're so realistic," Cuoco tells Entertainment Weekly. "That's what I find so endearing about the show. The fights they have, and the insecurities that Harley has sometimes with Ivy, feel like a real relationship. That's so crazy to say, but it's very relatable." 

Cuoco is an executive producer on Harley Quinn, but as much as she appreciates the Metropolis move, she says she stays out of the writing process, in part because she wants her line readings to feel as fresh as possible. 

It helps that her vocal performances are directed by Charlie Adler, who Cuoco has known since she was a teenager. They worked together on the Disney Channel animated series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, about an anthropomorphic dog and rabbit who get stuck in the Amazon rainforest together. A young Cuoco voiced Brandy, while Adler voiced Mr. Whiskers.

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"I've known him for almost my entire adult life," Cuoco says of Adler. "So he directs me in this, and when I go in, it's always a cold read for me. That's very shocking for some people to hear. Since season 1, after I realized what the show was and we moved forward, I always go in cold. I would not recommend that for other shows, but with this show specifically, when I read it for the first time, there's something very real about it. She's so chaotic and so all over the place that it encourages me to be off the wall and to do it in the moment."

Cuoco adds, "I come at it differently than I would if I was on camera, and it makes it more fun. She's so psychotic and gets to go in so many different directions. There's such a freedom in playing Harley. Whenever I leave those recording sessions, I feel like I need to take a nap."

Cuoco has been voicing Harley for five seasons now, and it doesn't look like the show is going anywhere anytime soon, even with the new DC regime overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran. Showrunner Dean Lorey, who also worked with Gunn on the recent animated series Creature Commandos, previously told EW that "we want to keep the Harley-verse separate as its own thing."

Even so, last year saw other interpretations of Harley emerge. Jamie Chung voiced a much different version of the character (Asian-American and living in a ’50s-esque Gotham City) on Batman: Caped Crusader, while Lady Gaga portrayed a more down-to-earth incarnation in Joker: Folie à Deux. 

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"Everyone's bringing their spin to it, and I think that's going to happen for years to come," Cuoco says. "I can't wait to see who else gets to step into these shoes. She’s an iconic character and it's an honor to be able to bring her voice and watch these other actresses bring her to life. I think it's really cool." 

The first episode of Harley Quinn season 5 is streaming now on Max, with subsequent episodes arriving on Thursdays through the rest of the season.