Margot Robbie played Naomi Lapaglia in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, a role that became her Hollywood breakthrough and reshaped her career. Cast opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort’s wife, Robbie turned a supporting part into a star-making performance through a mix of bold choices and unflinching commitment.
The Role and the Film
The Wolf of Wall Street was released on December 25, 2013, directed by Martin Scorsese and based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir about stockbroker fraud and corruption . Leonardo DiCaprio starred as Belfort, while Margot Robbie portrayed Naomi Lapaglia, Belfort’s second wife .
Naomi functions as more than a romantic interest. She represents the high life Belfort pursues and the chaos he creates, wielding her sexuality and sharp tongue as instruments of power within their volatile marriage . Robbie brought a combative energy to the part that made Naomi memorable despite her relatively limited screen time compared to DiCaprio’s lead performance.
The film became Scorsese’s highest-grossing picture, earning $407 million** worldwide against an approximate **$100 million budget . It received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor for Jonah Hill, and Best Adapted Screenplay, though it won none .
How She Landed the Role
Robbie’s path to casting involved a now-famous improvisation that could have ended her career. During her audition with DiCaprio, the script called for their characters to kiss . Robbie recalled her internal debate on the Talking Pictures podcast: “I thought, ‘I could kiss Leonardo DiCaprio right now, and that would be awesome. I can’t wait to tell all of my friends this.’ And then I thought nah. And just walloped him in the face” .
The room went “dead silent for what felt like an eternity,” as Robbie described it, before Scorsese and DiCaprio “burst out laughing” . Robbie admitted she feared legal consequences: “I’m going to get arrested, I’m pretty sure that’s assault or battery. Not only will you never work again, actually you will go to jail for this, you idiot” .
Scorsese’s reaction confirmed the gamble paid off. The improvisation demonstrated Robbie understood Naomi’s combative nature and could hold her own against DiCaprio . She was cast shortly after, though she later said she remained confused about what exactly secured her the role: “I truly don’t know to this day” .Quick Bio: Margot Robbie
Robbie founded the production company LuckyChap Entertainment in 2014 with her now-husband Tom Ackerley and other partners . The couple met on the set of Suite Française and welcomed their first child, a son, in October 2024 .
The Full-Frontal Scene
Scorsese offered Robbie a choice regarding her character’s full-frontal nude scene. He told her she could wear a robe if she felt uncomfortable . Robbie refused, explaining her reasoning on the Talking Pictures podcast: “That’s not what she would do in that scene. The whole point is that she’s going to come out completely naked, that’s the card she’s playing right now” .
This decision reflected Robbie’s understanding of Naomi as a character who weaponized her sexuality deliberately . The scene was her idea, not a directorial demand, making it a collaborative choice rather than an imposition .
Robbie’s manager had encouraged her before filming: “If there’s ever going to be a time for nudity, this is the director you do it with” . The exchange between Scorsese and Robbie also demonstrated the director’s respect for actor autonomy, notably before intimacy coordinators became standard practice in Hollywood .
Filming Challenges
The film’s most talked-about sex scene, set on a bed covered in cash, left Robbie with an unexpected physical toll. She described the aftermath in a 2017 Daily Beast interview: “I got a million paper cuts on my back from all that money! It’s not as glamorous as it sounds” .
Robbie warned against replicating the scene in real life: “If anyone is ever planning on having sex on top of a pile of cash: don’t. Or maybe real money is a bit softer, but the fake money is like paper” . When she stood up from the bed, the crew gasped at her back: “You look like you’ve been whipped a million times. Your back is covered in a thousand red scratches” .
Filming the scene was also awkward for other reasons. Robbie noted that simulating sex on set is never comfortable, though she approached the work professionally as part of the character’s dynamic with Belfort .
Her Reflections Years Later
More than a decade after the film’s release, Robbie expressed dissatisfaction with her own performance. In a 2025 ScreenRant interview promoting A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, she said: “I would love to redo my role in Wolf of Wall Street just because I was so young and I don’t think I was very good at acting back then. I think I could do a lot better now. I’d love to go back and do it better” .
Robbie was approximately 23 years old during filming and had limited major film experience . She also revealed she didn’t watch the finished film until the night before its premiere and genuinely feared being cut: “I really didn’t think anyone was going to take notice of me” .
This self-critique comes from an actress who has since earned an Academy Award nomination for I, Tonya and become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after performers . Her willingness to publicly assess her early work critically reflects professional growth rather than regret about the role itself.
Career Impact and Legacy
The role undeniably changed Robbie’s trajectory. Before The Wolf of Wall Street, she was relatively unknown in Hollywood. After it, she quickly secured major roles in Suicide Squad, I, Tonya, and eventually Barbie .
The film holds 79% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 83% from audiences, with Robbie’s performance frequently singled out as a standout . Critics and audiences alike responded to her screen presence, which combined glamour with emotional volatility.
Robbie’s dedication to the role, from the audition slap to the paper cuts, established her reputation for commitment. The physical discomfort she endured and the bold choices she made signaled an actress willing to prioritize character truth over personal comfort .
Whether revisiting the film today or discovering it for the first time, Margot Robbie’s Wolf of Wall Street performance remains a defining credit. It launched a career that has since produced Oscar-nominated work and blockbuster successes, yet Robbie herself views it as a starting point rather than a peak. That perspective, combined with the stories behind the scenes, makes the role worth examining as both a historical curiosity and a case study in breakout performances.
How did Margot Robbie get cast in The Wolf of Wall Street?
Robbie landed the role after improvising during her audition. Instead of following the script and kissing Leonardo DiCaprio, she slapped him across the face and screamed an expletive. The room went silent, but Scorsese and DiCaprio burst out laughing. Scorsese later confirmed the improvisation “clinched” her the part.
Was the full-frontal nude scene Margot Robbie’s idea?
Yes. Scorsese offered Robbie the option to wear a robe if she felt uncomfortable. She declined, explaining that Naomi “would come out completely naked” because that was the character’s deliberate strategy in that moment. Robbie felt covering up would have betrayed the character’s nature.
What happened during the money bed scene?
Robbie described filming the sex scene on a pile of fake cash as physically painful. She said, “I got a million paper cuts on my back from all that money.” When she stood up afterward, the crew gasped at the red scratches covering her back. She warned against trying it in real life.
Does Margot Robbie think her performance was good?
Robbie has publicly stated she would like to “redo” her performance. In a 2025 interview, she said, “I was so young and I don’t think I was very good at acting back then.” She was around 23 during filming and had limited major film experience at the time.
