Margot Robbie has opened up about why she insisted on full-frontal nudity in The Wolf of Wall Street - even after Martin Scorsese said she could cover up for the scene. 

Back in 2013, the 34-year-old Australian actress had her big break in Hollywood after starring as Naomi Lapaglia, the wife of Jordan Belfort - the wealthy stockbroker played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

The movie became the highest-grossing film within the 82-year-old director's entire filmography, grossing nearly $400 million at the global box office, per Collider.

It was also nominated for several awards, including five nominations at the 86th Academy Awards ceremony: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations for DiCaprio and Hill, respectively.

In one key scene of the iconic movie, the Australian star attempts to seduce her husband by appearing completely naked.

Robbie explained on the Talking Pictures podcast that initially, Scorsese suggested that she wear a robe if it makes her more comfortable, but the Babylon alum had a different idea she felt was more fitting for the character.

"That’s not what she would do in that scene," she revealed on the podcast in response to the filmmaker's offer, cited by E! News.

"The whole point is that she’s going to come out completely naked - that’s the card she’s playing," she added.

That was not the only bold yet creative decision Robbie made while working on the project.

While auditioning for the role opposite DiCaprio, the mother-of-one was expected to kiss the 50-year-old Titanic star but instead, she slapped him.

"I thought, I could kiss Leonardo DiCaprio right now, and that would be awesome," she recalled. "I can’t wait to tell all of my friends this. And then I thought…nah. And just walloped him in the face."

“It was dead silence for what felt like an eternity but was probably three seconds. Then they just burst out laughing. Leo and Marty were laughing so hard, they said ‘That was great.’ I was thinking, ‘I’m going to get arrested, I’m pretty sure that’s assault, battery,'" she continued.

The Oscar-nominated star imagined being told: “‘Not only will you never work again, actually you will go to jail for this, you idiot. And also why did you have to hit him so hard? You should have done it lighter.’”

Obviously, it didn't hurt Robbie's career as the actress went on to star in high-profile roles in Suicide Squad, Barbie and I Tonya.

According to NME, the next project on the actress' filmography is Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights - which is currently in pre-production and will begin filming in the UK next year.

Featured image credit: Taylor Hill / Getty

Margot Robbie revealed that one of her star-making scenes in 2013’s The Wolf Of Wall Street was performed fully nude, and it was all her idea. 

In the film, directed by Martin Scorsese, Robbie played the second wife of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort, the controversial financier on whose autobiography the film is based. 

Robbie was in her early 20s and a relative unknown when she was cast as Naomi Lapaglia, who successfully seduces Belfort and becomes his second wife during the film. 

Why Margot Robbie convinced Martin Scorsese to let her shoot a sex scene nude

Wolf Of Wall Street notably did not hold back - either on the swearing or nudity. It turns out, Robbie performed one of these sex scenes fully nude.

This wasn’t just for shock or show, either. She made the decision herself, insisting to perform nude to stay true to her character. 

The film’s director, the much-loved Martin Scorsese, responsible for such classics as Raging Bull and The Departed, even offered for Robbie to be covered up while shooting the scene with DiCaprio, but she refused.

“The whole point of Naomi is that her body is her only form of currency in this world,” she told The Telegraph in 2014. 

“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. She’s laying her cards on the table.”

This choice, Robbie said, came from not only a deep understanding of her character, but to help maintain the realism of the film itself.

“I 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,” she went on.

“Seeing someone being choreographed into being covered up irritates me just as much.”

How The Wolf of Wall Street helped shoot Margot Robbie to superstardom

The Wolf of Wall Street was integral in helping Robbie shoot to superstardom. Before, she had been mostly known for her stint on the soap Neighbours in her native Australia, but her role as Naomi helped her morph into Hollywood’s next big thing. 

Quickly following the film’s release, Robbie would parlay into a series of big hits, such as her role as Harley Quinn in 2016’s Suicide Squad and 2020’s The Suicide Squad and an acclaimed turn as the late actress Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 blockbuster Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

She gained her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 2017 for ice skating biopic I, Tonya, starring as controversial former US ice skater Tonya Harding.

She’s picked up two further nominations since - Best Supporting Actress in 2019’s Bombshell and as a producer for 2023 mega-hit Barbie, on which she was a producer and even starred as the titular doll.

Now one of the biggest actresses in the world, Robbie will next be seen taking on the role of Cathy Earnshaw in Emerald Fennell’s 2026 adaptation of Emily Brontë’s dark, gothic classic Wuthering Heights, alongside Euphoria star Jacob Elordi as Heathcliffe.

Margot Robbie's rise to fame is often associated with her breakthrough role in The Wolf of Wall Street, a film that catapulted her to stardom. Her portrayal of Naomi Lapaglia, the glamorous and unpredictable wife of Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Jordan Belfort, made her a household name.

While the film is packed with over-the-top scenes, one particular moment stands out: Robbie’s performance in a nursery scene that became one of the most iconic in the movie.

The scene, involving an intimate interaction between Naomi and Jordan, had no nudity but was still highly suggestive. However, behind the camera, Robbie found the experience much more challenging. Despite its impact on the film, she admitted that filming the scene was far from easy.

Credit: Red Granite Pictures

The awkward reality of filming the nursery scene

Robbie recently opened up about her discomfort while filming the famous scene. In an interview with Porter Magazine, she described the set environment as less than ideal. “Although it doesn’t come across when you’re watching the movie, the reality of it was we were in this tiny bedroom with 30 crew members crammed in,” she explained.

“For 17 hours, I’m pretending to be touching myself. It’s just a very weird thing, and you have to bury the embarrassment and absurdity, really deep, and fully commit.”

The scene, while bold and memorable, wasn’t something Robbie felt comfortable with at the time. The actor had to block out any awkwardness and push forward to complete the shoot, even though the situation was uncomfortable.

Margot Robbie starred in The Wolf On Wall Street in 2013. Credit: Taylor Hill / Getty

Unexpected family reactions to the movie’s racy scenes

The racy nature of The Wolf of Wall Street also caught Robbie off guard when it came to sharing the film with her family. On the Smartless podcast, she revealed how surprised she was by how much of herself was featured in the film.

“I hadn’t really braced myself for how much things would change after the movie came out,” she shared.

When she finally watched the film at a family screening before the premiere, Robbie found herself in an awkward situation. “I was like ‘oh sh*t my family is about to see this.’ I organized a family and friends screening, and when the credits started, I suddenly realized ‘oh my god, I’m naked, I’m fully naked, and they’re all about to see it.’”

She continued by describing the uncomfortable experience of watching her most intimate scenes on screen, including one where she and DiCaprio’s character have sex on a bed of cash. “My brother is right next to me!” she said, laughing nervously.

Robbie’s family was left stunned after the screening, and her brother didn’t speak to her for months following the film’s release.

Despite the challenges, The Wolf of Wall Street remains a defining moment in Robbie’s career and has become one of her most talked-about roles.

Featured image credit: Red Granite Pictures

Before Margot Robbie became one of the most famous actresses in the world, she had to prove herself in a room of directors and famous stars.

Starring only in Neighbours ahead of her big break alongside none other than Leonardo DiCaprio, it's safe to say Robbie's way to the top forced her to stand her ground.

Since becoming a household name, Robbie's credits include Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, The Legend of Tarzan, Suicide Squad, and I, Tonya.

And she's only got herself to thank.

It appears as though her landing the role of Naomi Lapaglia in Wolf Of Wall Street was far from the standard audition. In fact, Robbie had to think outside the box for her audition to be truly remembered.

And she did just that. According to the movie's director Martin Scorsese, to impress him the Aussie actress went completely off-script, to the point where she borderline assaulted Leo.

Writing in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People issue, Scorsese recalled: "She clinched her part in The Wolf of Wall Street during our first meeting - by hauling off and giving Leonardo DiCaprio a thunderclap of a slap on the face.

"[It was] an improvisation that stunned us all."

The actress recalled her brave audition since finding global stardom, admitting that she knew she had only a small amount of time in which she had to impress Scorsese and DiCaprio.

She told Harper's Bazaar back in 2016: "In my head I was like, 'You have literally 30 seconds left in this room and if you don't do something impressive nothing will ever come of it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, just take it'. And so I start screaming at him and he's yelling back at me.

"And he's really scary. I can barely keep up. And he ends it by saying, 'You should be happy to have a husband like me. Now get over here and kiss me'."

She went on: "So I walk up really close to his face and then I'm like, 'Maybe I should kiss him. When else am I ever going to get a chance to kiss Leo DiCaprio, ever?'.

"But another part of my brain clicks and I just go, whack! I hit him in the face. And then I scream, 'F**k you!'. And that's not in the script at all. The room just went dead silent and I froze."

After being taken aback by Robbie's improv audition, DiCaprio actually told her to hit him again. Not bad!

Featured image credit: UPI / Alamy