The Suicide Squad director James Gunn reveals he had Ratcatcher II actress Daniela Melchior audition with a live rat. Following last December's Wonder Woman 1984 and March's Snyder Cut, the DCEU is changing directions for its next movie, The Suicide Squad. Instead of an earnest, heroic trip to the past, The Suicide Squad will offer a gritty adventure centered on an odd mix of villains and anti-heroes. The titular group must embark on a dangerous mission to a Nazi-era prison and lab known as Jotunheim, and one thing is clear: Not everyone will survive.
As The Suicide Squad stands apart from David Ayer's 2016 take on the team, only a handful of characters will be returning. Beyond them, Gunn has assembled a fascinating mix of characters from the pages of DC comics, from Superman villain Bloodsport (Idris Elba) to the strangely powered TDK (Nathan Fillion). Of the characters he's most excited for fans to see, Gunn has shared his personal preference for Ratcatcher II, a twist on the character from the comics who can control rats. Newcomer Melchior beat out countless actresses for the part, and Gunn has revealed a major reason as to why.
As is per usual for the fan favorite director, Gunn revealed some fun behind the scenes details for The Suicide Squad on Wednesday. When it came to the casting of Ratcatcher II, Gunn wrote that "we auditioned hundreds of actors from across the world." Melchior was one of only 3 actresses to get a screen test, and it was one that "included making sure she was ok chilling with rats." Gunn then shared some pictures of Melchior on the day she was cast, which show her happily chilling with rat perched on her shoulder. Check out the post below.
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In The Suicide Squad, Ratcatcher II obviously has a lot of critters at her disposal, but Gunn previously pointed out one in particular she always carries. Ratcatcher II has a pet named Sebastian, and he can be spotted in some of the images from the film. Sebastian was played by real life rats Jaws and Crisp Ratt, and it's not clear if either of them are the rat Melchior met during her screen test. Even if they were not, one can assume Melchior got quite close to both of them while filming The Suicide Squad.
It makes sense that Melchior would have to be comfortable with real rats, since Gunn attempted to make as much of The Suicide Squad practical as possible. While there will obviously be some CGI in the film between characters like Starro and Weasel (Sean Gunn), The Suicide Squad utilizes a great number of practical sets and costumes. Ratcatcher II's horde of rodents are likely also CGI, but her trusty pal Sebastian will be quite real. Good thing Melchior could handle it.
Source: James Gunn/Twitter
