Inside the Superhero Sisterhood of ‘Birds of Prey’

“The female gaze just happened inherently because there were mainly women making the decisions,” Robbie, 29, says. “We were all just picking what we thought was cool.”

At 55, Perez says she appreciated the commitment to costumes that felt authentic to the role she was playing. “I didn't feel objectified,” she says. “I’m the oldest one here, and I was dreading the wardrobe.” When she arrived on set, she expected to be fitted in a skintight suit. Instead she’s wearing regular trousers and a button-down, as a real detective would, male or female. “When I saw it, I went, ‘Oh!’ Then, when I saw the other girls, I was like, ‘You look hot! You look hot! You look hot! Yay!’ I was happy. You could be sexy, but you didn’t have to put on the sexiness.”

This freedom from the male gaze allowed for more creativity to actually do the work. Winstead, 35, says, “You’re not scrutinized with, ‘How can she look hotter?’ Which is an experience I’ve definitely had in the past.” Adds Perez: “It’s not like, ‘Let’s just put her in that because her ass is great,’ which I know we’ve all experienced.”

Smollett-Bell credits the general lack of objectification to having Yan and producer Sue Kroll at the helm with Robbie. “I realized, prior to this, how many projects I’ve been on where I’m the only woman on set and how alone I’ve felt,” she says.

By the women’s accounts, this is what I imagine true parity on a film set looks like: a safe environment where everyone can show up and do their best work, one in which female stars get the recognition they deserve, no questions asked. Perez says that hit home for her when she saw the movie’s official poster for the first time. She was surprised it was just the four women front and center. “In a lot of films, the male always gets the first billing no matter how big or small their part is,” she says. “Being in this business for so long, you still think the men are going to show up, you know? It felt very, very empowering.”

At this point in the conversation, I ask what each woman has learned from the others—and they all turn to Perez. “Why did you look at me?” she asks. “Because you’re just wise,” Smollett-Bell replies. “We all have girl crushes on you, in case you can’t tell.”

They take a moment to reminisce about the wrap party—a night when everyone danced so much that Perez had to put ice packs on her knees after. Then, a beat. Perez decides to share instead what she appreciated about the other women. First, she turns to Robbie. “I appreciated how Margot can be in charge but not make you feel less-than,” she says. “Sometimes when actors are also producers, they feel that they have to wear that hat too strongly. That wasn’t the case, so I appreciated how she kept her emotions in control all the time. Her professionalism is outstanding.”