Margot Robbie thought she’d ‘go to jail’ for slapping Leonardo DiCaprio during ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ audition

Margot Robbie recently shared a humorous story about her unconventional audition for The Wolf of Wall Street that almost landed her in serious trouble. In a recent appearance on the “Talking Pictures” podcast, Robbie revealed how a creative decision she made during her audition to slap Leonardo DiCaprio instead of kissing him left her wondering if she’d end up in jail.

The scene in question was one in which Robbie’s character, Naomi Lapaglia, throws water in DiCaprio’s character, Jordan Belfort’s, face. However, Robbie took the scene in a bold new direction when, after improvising with DiCaprio, she deviated from the script’s final line, which called for a kiss. Instead, she decided to slap DiCaprio across the face.

At the time, Robbie didn’t fully consider the consequences of her impromptu move. “In my head, I was like, I could totally kiss Leonardo DiCaprio right now. That would be awesome. I can’t wait to tell all my friends this,” Robbie recalled. But then she thought, “Nah,” and went ahead and slapped DiCaprio. The slap wasn’t scripted, and it caught everyone off guard.

The room fell silent for what Robbie described as an “eternity.” Then, much to her relief, director Martin Scorsese and DiCaprio broke into laughter. “That was great!” they told her, immediately affirming her decision. Still, Robbie couldn’t shake the feeling that she might have just ruined her career. She thought, “You’re going to get arrested. I’m pretty sure that this is assault, battery. Not only will you never work again, but actually, you will go to jail for this.”

Robbie’s slap ended up being one of the memorable moments of her audition, leading to her being cast in the role of Naomi, which turned out to be her breakout part. The film, directed by Scorsese, premiered in 2013 and went on to receive widespread acclaim, earning five Academy Award nominations.

In hindsight, Robbie’s audition was a pivotal moment in her career. Not only did it secure her a major role in The Wolf of Wall Street, but it also launched her into Hollywood stardom. Since then, Robbie has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award nomination, and has become one of the industry’s most sought-after actors and producers.

Today, Robbie is known for her roles in Birds of Prey, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and, of course, Barbie, but it was the slap in The Wolf of Wall Street that started it all. Looking back, she can laugh at how close she came to derailing her career with one impromptu decision, but it’s clear that her fear of jail was far from becoming a reality.

About The Author

Ama Oprah

See author's posts