Margot Robbie became the she-wolf of Wall Street by hitting Leonardo DiCaprio

Martin Scorsese’s very good film returns to TV this weekend. Do not miss.

Arte will rebroadcast at the end of the weekend The wolf of Wall Streetsuccess of Martin Scorsese who has just celebrated his tenth birthday. So it’s been a decade since Margot Robbie broke through to the general public, thanks to her role as a femme fatale facing Leonardo DiCaprio.

At the time, she detailed Harpersbazaarthat she had won the role of Naomi Belfort in this scathing critique of the world of finance… by hitting her playing partner. A tough audition!

We are sharing his words below, to wait until this wonderful cinema evening: note that before The wolf of Wall Streetthe channel will offer the documentary Martin Scorsese – the Italian-American. Already visible for free in replay, it retraces the exceptional journey of the artist in the cinema industry by choosing the angle of the quest for identity. Among the many themes mentioned (Scorsese’s very particular way of filming New York immigrants, whether of Italian or Irish origin, his taste for violence, his relationship with God…), the documentary insists also on her defense of feminism, little discussed by moviegoers. Because at the heart of his films, often considered very masculine, there are often unforgettable women, whether they are played by Ellen Burstyn (Alice is no longer here), Jodie Foster (Taxi Driver), Lorraine Bracco (The Freedmen), Sharon Stone (Casino)… or Margot Robbie, then.

Martin Scorsese delivers his favorite shot from The Wolf of Wall Street

It is June 2013 in London and after a drunken evening, the actress returns home around 6 a.m. to learn on her answering machine that she is expected to be cast in the Wolf of Wall Street. She flies to New York and finds herself in a large room with Martin Scorsese And Leonardo DiCaprio. Ellen Lewis, the head of casting, films her performance. This is where his star career will take a completely different turn.

“In this scene, our two characters are on their first date. We exchanged three lines and then, unconsciously, I rolled my eyes and Leo said : ‘What is that look?’ I said to myself : ‘It’s not in the text! (…) What should I answer?’ And then I realized that he was improvising and I said to myself: ‘Damn he’s improvising, I have to improvise too!’ But I crashed miserably in the face of Leo and his phenomenal talent. He was able to play his role and mine with his eyes closed. I could barely place one (…) next to him, I just looked pathetic.”

This first inconclusive test will put the actress in a state of stress which will change everything later, while she will be tested on a scene of a newlyweds’ argument with Leonardo.

Guts: a fist is all!

“I said to myself : ‘You literally have 30 seconds left in this room and if you don’t do something impressive, you won’t get called back. It’s a chance that will only come once in your life: take it.’, she then says. So I started yelling at him while he yelled back at me. It was really scary, I had a hard time coping with that moment. And he ended up saying: ‘You should be happy to have a husband like me. Come on: come and kiss me.’ I got closer to him, close to his face, saying to myself: ‘Maybe I should, it’s my only chance to kiss Leonardo Dicaprio.’ But I had a click and ‘Bam!’ I hit him in the face while screaming ‘Fuck you!’which was not at all planned in the script.

A cold silence fell in the room, I was terrified. I thought : ‘You just punched Leonardo DiCaprio in the face. They’re going to arrest you for assault. Your career is over.’ (…) And then Marty And Leo burst out laughing. Marty said: ‘It was cool!’ And Leo added: ‘Hit me again!’

The rest, we know it, Margot Robbie has become the sultry blonde who capsizes the heart of the mad trader. If she already had a few roles to her credit (notably in the series Pam Am and the rom-com It was time) it was truly for The Wolf of Wall Street that she was noticed by the general public. She has since played Harley Quinn and Barbie, among others: over a decade, she has built a solid career in Hollywood as a producer of the projects that are close to her heart, whether she stars in them or not.

Margot Robbie almost quit acting after The Wolf of Wall Street