Margot Robbie's Improvised Audition For The Wolf Of Wall Street Left Martin Scorsese 'Stunned'
It's strange to think of Margot Robbie as at one time being a struggling actor. These days she's known as the global superstar set to appear in the title role of the upcoming "Barbie" movie. Her luminous quality and impressive talent gives the impression she's always been a movie star. Of course, that's far from the truth. Like most actors, Robbie had to work hard to get where she is, spending three years on soap opera "Neighbours" in her native Australia before crossing the Pacific to take on America.
Once in the U.S., she appeared in a season of ABC's "Pan Am" before it was canceled, after which she popped up in the 2013 British rom-com "About Time," in what would be her first big studio film. But it wasn't until the she auditioned for Martin Scorsese that Robbie would get her big break. The legendary director had been involved in developing an adaptation of Wall Street scammer Jordan Belfort's biography since 2007, having initially worked on the script. But it seems Scorsese couldn't resist a chance to direct yet another tale of crime, greed, and debauchery and would, in 2012, sign on to direct "The Wolf of Wall Street."
With Leo set to star as Belfort (sorry Christian Bale), Scorsese and his star needed to find a supporting cast that could keep up with him. Jonah Hill was an inspired choice for the role of Belfort's business partner Donnie Azoff, emphasizing the movie's dark humor and agreeing to appear for the bare minimum fee. But that still left the role of Belfort's second wife, Naomi Lapaglia (renamed from Nadine Caridi), to cast. And while Robbie wasn't necessarily prepared to act for $60,000 like Hill, she was prepared to take her audition to a risky level.
'Do something impressive'
Margot Robbie had a specific approach for auditions in her early years, saying, "When I walk in I'm very aware of the fact that people see just a little blonde girl [...] I just know that they're expecting nothing and all I can do is impress them [...] I can sit there and be like 'Oh you just wait, yeah I know I look like a silly little blonde but I'm about to blow your minds.'" And when it came to her "The Wolf of Wall Street" audition, Robbie certainly delivered on that front.
As she recounted to Harper's Bazaar in 2017, Robbie read an argument scene with Leo, and as things escalated, she found herself with 30 seconds left to "do something impressive." She started "screaming" at her scene partner and, as Robbie recalled it, "He's yelling back at me. And he's really scary. I can barely keep up."
What happened next was a surprise to everyone, including Robbie:
"And he ends it saying, 'You should be happy to have a husband like me. Now get over here and kiss me.' 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*** you!' And that's not in the script at all. The room just went dead silent and I froze."
Sometimes, it pays to slap DiCaprio
Margot Robbie's risky improv paid off. A week later, she got a callback and once again auditioned for Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, this time for just five minutes. She remembered thinking she'd "totally blown it" before being called back in by the casting director:
"I hadn't done anything special and I'm walking out [...] and Ellen lewis was like 'Quick, pop your head back in, the guys want to see you quickly,' [...] They were both standing there like this [smiling, standing still] and it was silent and I was like 'What's up?' And they go 'We'd like to offer you the role.'"
Scorsese later recalled being "stunned" by the "thunderclap of a slap," praising Robbie's "unique audacity that surprises and challenges." That's been borne out by her impressive career trajectory since "The Wolf of Wall Street," which has seen her gain several major awards nominations, including two Oscar nods.
But despite her gutsy approach to the "Wall Street" audition, Robbie was intimidated by taking on such a momentous project. She remembered initially feeling "a lot of hesitation and trepidation," and even came close to walking away:
"For a brief moment I was like, 'I guess I'm not going to do the role, I can't do nudity and I would never be good enough for this anyway.' And then the thought occurred to me 'Oh, I guess who's going to play it then?' And then that just infuriated me."
It's a good thing she eventually accepted the role, as Robbie was one of the standout parts of what is one of Scorsese's best efforts — not an easy achievement. All of which suggests it's good to take a risk now and then, even if it means physically assaulting one of the biggest movie stars in the world.