Yes,James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadfeatures a phenomenal ensemble all-around, but I’m willing to bet newcomerDaniela Melchioris going to wind up being a major favorite as Ratcatcher II. In fact, I feel so strongly about that, it became an absolute must to have Melchior on this week’s edition ofCollider Ladies Night.
InThe Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) plucks a bunch of super-villains out of Belle Reve Federal Penitentiary and sends them on a dangerous mission. Should they complete this mission, they’ll be rewarded with reduced sentences. In Ratcatcher II’s case, that means reducing the time she’s imprisoned for robbing a bank.
The informationThe Suicide Squadoffers up regarding Ratcatcher II’s past and her current situation is most certainly enough to well support this story, but when I fall hard for a character, the need to know every single detail about them is inevitable. Fortunately, Melchior was willing to indulge me during out Ladies Night interview. Here’s what she had to say about her early conversations with Gunn:
“For the backstory, the conversations that I had with James were more to find her energy and her tone. But then for me, I really love to imagine those [things], imagining what kinds of things Ratcatcher would love, what kind of movies, what kind of music. But of course I have a backstory that would not be official because maybe James Gunn will want to make a different one in a spin-off or something. I don’t know!”
RELATED:The Suicide Squad': James Gunn Reveals Taika Waititi Was Originally Considered for a Different Role
Melchior went into more detail on Ratcatcher II’s favorite movies and music by highlighting the character information provided by Gunn:
“He told me that she would love lots of artsy things, and she is really, really random. She could wake up loving yodeling music and in the next day she would love a really heavy punk rock music, so I was like, ‘Okay! She’s really eclectic. She’s really cultured,’ even if she doesn’t show that. And James also told me that she would love the new wave of French cinema, and I was like, ‘Okay, okay! I see that I’m speaking in English, she’s from Portugal, but she’s really European,’ and that helped me a lot to find the way to play Ratcatcher II.”
Melchior also spoke a bit about Ratcatcher II’s motivation to rob that bank and her headspace when joining the Suicide Squad:
“For me, Ratcatcher went there without really feeling that she wanted to be there. She was caught and she was in prison because something wrong happened when she was trying to rob a bank with Sebastian and all of her rats, but it would be something like, she really wanted and needed to survive. I don’t feel like she’s a true super-villain. She was in this particular mission and it was her first mission.”
Melchior also threw in a curious little tease of the possibilies for Ratcatcher II in the future:
“I’m really curious about what happens next - if something happens next, if she will get to the point [that] she will kill somebody and why. Or if she turns into a superhero because she could be, right?”
If you’re looking for more from Melchior, hang tight just a little longer! We’ll have our full Collider Ladies Night conversation withThe Suicide Squadstandout when the movie arrives in theaters and on HBO Max on Friday, August 6th.
KEEP READING:‘Fear Street’: Kiana Madeira on How She and Olivia Scott Welch Found a Special Spark During Their First Chemistry Read
