Margot Robbie recently shared on the Talking Pictures podcast that the decision to do a full frontal nude scene in The Wolf of Wall Street was entirely her choice.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, the 2013 film was Robbie’s breakout role, where she played Naomi Lapaglia, the bold and glamorous wife of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort. Robbie was in her early 20s at the time and reflected on how she made the decision.
Scorsese offered Robbie an alternative, saying she could wear a robe if she felt uncomfortable. However, Robbie believed Naomi wouldn’t have done that.
“The whole point is that she’s going to come out completely naked—that’s the card she’s playing right now,” Robbie explained. She said she didn’t think about how the scene would be viewed by the world. Instead, she focused on staying true to her character.
Robbie also showed her fearless approach during her audition. In one scene with DiCaprio, her character was scripted to kiss his, but she improvised and slapped him instead.
“I thought, ‘I could kiss Leonardo DiCaprio right now, and that would be awesome.’ But then I thought, nah, and just walloped him in the face,” Robbie shared. The room went silent for a few seconds before Scorsese and DiCaprio burst out laughing.
The bold move paid off. Both DiCaprio and Scorsese loved the improvisation, calling it “great.” However, Robbie was initially worried she’d gone too far. “I thought, ‘I’m going to get arrested. Not only will you never work again, but you’ll go to jail for this, you idiot,’” she joked.
The Wolf of Wall Street wasn’t Robbie’s only success. That same year, she had a smaller role in About Time. Years later, she reunited with DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Today, Robbie is recognized as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
