She may have been a newcomer in Hollywood, but Margot Robbie wasn’t afraid to take charge on the set of The Wolf of Wall Street.
The Australian actress, who played the role of Naomi Lapaglia opposite Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort, surprised her veteran co-star with her confidence and assertiveness during their intimate scenes together.
In a recent interview, Robbie revealed that she had to push DiCaprio’s head out of the way during one particular scene because he was blocking her light.
“We were positioned while they lit around us in one scene, and I kind of pushed Leo’s head to one side and told him he was in my light and he moved out of [it],” she said.
“He was so incredulous that I had told him to get out of my light, and physically moved him out of the way, he was like, ‘Did you really just do that?’”
Despite being a relatively unknown actress at the time, Robbie wasn’t intimidated by working alongside one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
In fact, she found the experience to be incredibly rewarding and challenging.
“Working with Leo challenged me every single second—the challenge just to keep up with him pushed me and got my acting to a level it’s never been, which is incredibly satisfying,” she said.
Robbie’s performance in The Wolf of Wall Street was a breakout role for the young actress, and it’s easy to see why.
She brought a raw intensity and fearlessness to the character of Naomi, a woman who knows how to use her body to get what she wants.
In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Robbie insisted on appearing fully nude, despite being offered the option to wear a bathrobe.
“I think nudity for the sake of nudity is shameful,” she explained in an interview with The Telegraph.
“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.”
Robbie’s commitment to authenticity and willingness to push boundaries has served her well in the years since The Wolf of Wall Street.
She has gone on to become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, starring in a string of critically acclaimed films such as I, Tonya, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and most recently, Barbie.
But it was her breakout role in The Wolf of Wall Street that first showcased Robbie’s talent and fearlessness as an actress.
Her chemistry with DiCaprio was electric, and their scenes together were some of the most memorable in the film.
It’s no wonder that director Martin Scorsese and DiCaprio were both blown away by Robbie’s performance.
“On Wolf of Wall Street, seeing Margot come in and read that scene with me I just knew I was witnessing a dynamic presence in cinema that was about to be,” DiCaprio said in an interview with The Sunday Project.
“Scorsese and myself were blown away by how much she gave back to the scene, fought back and we both immediately knew she was going to have an incredible career.”
Looking back on her experience working on The Wolf of Wall Street, Robbie has nothing but fond memories.
“It was my first proper s__ scene, and I hadn’t done a start-to-finish s__ scene like I did in Wolf before,” she told Vanity Fair. “That was my first.”
Despite her nerves, Robbie approached the scene with the same confidence and fearlessness that has become her trademark as an actress.
And while she may have surprised DiCaprio with her boldness on set, there’s no denying that Robbie’s star power was evident from the very beginning.
As she continues to take on challenging and diverse roles, it’s clear that Margot Robbie is a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.
And it all started with that unforgettable performance in The Wolf of Wall Street.
