Margot Robbie has explained why she insisted on full-frontal nudity in The Wolf of Wall Street.
The 2013 movie stars Robbie as Naomi Lapaglia, the wife of former stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who is played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film focuses on Belfort’s rise and fall, and all the quaalude-induced debauchery that unfolded at the same time.
Robbie’s role as DiCaprio’s on-screen wife catapulted the Aussie star to worldwide fame and saw her acting career take off. Her portrayal of Naomi won her positive reviews and the film was a huge success, grossing $406.9m worldwide.
Robbie’s on-screen chemistry with DiCaprio also delighted audiences and critics.
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The Oscar-nominated actress, 34, shared how the film’s director, Martin Scorsese, 82, was initially open to adjusting the scene to ensure she was comfortable. He reportedly said she could wear a robe.
Speaking on the Talking Pictures podcast, Robbie recounted her response: “But I said, ‘That’s not what she would do in that scene. The whole point is that she’s going to come out completely naked — that’s the card she’s playing.”
Robbie has previously chatted about the fallout from the film’s raunchy scenes after admitting that she watched the film alongside her family.
She said that one of her siblings was so taken aback by what he saw in the film that he actually didn’t speak to her for three months.
"I can’t tell you how uncomfortable that was. One of my brothers didn’t speak to me for three months afterwards - not because he was mad, he was just, like: ‘I just need a minute before I can consider you my sister again!’" Robbie said.
Robbie has previously said that she was initially hesitant about the nude scenes, despite her manager telling her that 'if there’s ever going to be a time for nudity, this is the director you do it with’.
But when it came to the scene where Naomi seduces Jordan, she decided to go ahead with it, as she felt it’s what the character would have done.
Speaking to The Telegraph in 2014, Robbie discussed her thoughts about nudity in film: "I think nudity for the sake of nudity is shameful. If they've put it in just so that a girl gets her top off, then that's disgusting. And you can always tell.”
"But I also think it's disgusting when someone would have got naked in real life, in the film they conveniently leave their bra on, or hold up the bed sheet. Seeing someone being choreographed into being covered up irritates me just as much."
She continued: "The whole point of Naomi is that her body is her only form of currency in this world. So when Marty [Scorsese] was trying to help me out, and said in the scene where she seduces Jordan perhaps I could have a robe on, I said she wouldn't. She has to be naked."
Topics: Film and TV, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Martin Scorsese
Gregory Robinson