Why Margot Robbie's Wolf Of Wall Street Breakout Role Almost Made Her Quit Acting, Explained

It's difficult to imagine a bigger Hollywood breakout success story than Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street. Centered around the true story of corrupt Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street took Hollywood by storm upon release in 2013. It's the highest-grossing movie in Scorsese's filmography, raking in over $392 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo). Though the film drew controversy, with many accusing The Wolf of Wall Street for glamorizing Belfort's excessive and criminal behavior, it made a splash at awards season, earning five Oscar nominations.

Margot Robbie plays Naomi LaPaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street, Belfort's second wife whom he meets at a party. The two begin a passionate affair that results in Jordan leaving his first wife to marry Naomi. However, the honeymoon phase devolves into a marital nightmare as Jordan's drug addiction worsens. Prior to playing Naomi, Robbie's filmography was small, with her largest role being Donna Freedman in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours. With most of her early projects filmed in her native Australia, Robbie didn't have much Hollywood experience at all before The Wolf of Wall Street changed everything.

Margot Robbie Got Cast In The Wolf Of Wall Street After Slapping Leonardo DiCaprio In The Audition

Martin Scorsese Was Impressed With Robbie's "Thunderclap Of A Slap"

When Margot Robbie scored an audition for The Wolf of Wall Street, she knew it was a "once-in-a-lifetime chance." (via Harper's Bazaar). The pressure was definitely on for Robbie, especially because she would be auditioning opposite A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio in front of renowned director Martin Scorsese. Robbie knew she had to do something to make herself memorable. She said of her audition scene,

And [DiCaprio] 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**k you!' And that's not in the script at all. The room just went dead silent and I froze.

Robbie was convinced her risk backfired, and even feared that DiCaprio would sue her. However, the opposite was true, and Scorsese said the slap was what won her the part:

She clinched her part in The Wolf of Wall Street during our first meeting", he said, "by hauling off and giving Leonardo DiCaprio a thunderclap of a slap on the face. [It was] an improvisation that stunned us all.

Robbie took what could have been a one-note shallow, gold-digging character and made her pop off the screen with her fire and ambition, and it's clear that the actress had it in her right from the very first audition.

Robbie's Post-Wolf Of Wall Street Fame Was Too Much For Her In The Beginning

Her Mom Told Her It Was Too Late To Go Back

While Margot Robbie had no idea she would skyrocket to fame so quickly after The Wolf of Wall Street's release, she felt the pressure to do a great job and embody her character. In an interview with Wonderland Magazine, Robbie confessed,

When I was playing Naomi in The Wolf of Wolf Street it was so high-tempo sexy. I was acutely aware that the line in the screenplay was ‘the hottest blonde ever. I’m clearly not the hottest blonde ever. I was just terrified that people would see the movie and think ‘eugh! She’s not that great.’

Of course, Hollywood and movie viewers everywhere had the opposite reaction — with many declaring that Robbie was, in fact, "the hottest blonde ever." Almost overnight, Robbie had gone from a mostly unknown Australian actress with only a handful of credits to Hollywood's biggest It girl. Such a dramatic shift in her career gave Robbie emotional whiplash, enough that it made her seriously rethink her career path. She told Vanity Fair,

Something was happening in those early stages and it was all pretty awful, and I remember saying to my mom, ‘I don’t think I want to do this.’ And she just looked at me, completely straight-faced, and was like, ‘Darling, I think it’s too late not to.’ That’s when I realized the only way was forward.

Robbie Has Forever Changed Hollywood For Women With Her Production Company

LuckyChap Produces Female-Driven Movies & TV Shows

After her star-making turn in The Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie could have easily been typecast as the blonde bombshell sex symbol in male-driven entertainment. But that was never in the cards for her. In 2014, just one year after The Wolf of Wall Street's release, Margot Robbie co-founded the production company LuckyChap Entertainment with her husband Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, and Stephanie Kerr. The company's goal is to "expand what female stories and female storytellers could do in this industry." (via THR)

Robbie has starred in many LuckyChap productions, but she's adamant that the company is more about creating female-focused film and television rather than being a vehicle for her acting career. However, when she is in front of the camera, Robbie delivers nuanced performances, often as misunderstood women, whether they're real-life figures like Tonya Harding (I, Tonya) or Queen Elizabeth I (Mary Queen of Scots) or the world's most famous doll. She even turned Harley Quinn from an object of the male gaze to a badass feminist icon in the DCEU. And it all started with The Wolf of Wall Street.

Directed by Martin Scorcese, The Wolf of Wall Street tells the true story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), based on his memoir of the same name. It chronicles the rise of Belfort and the subsequent corruption of his firm as he engages in a wide assortment of criminal acts while amassing a staggering fortune. Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and Kyle Chandler also star alongside DiCaprio.

Release Date December 25, 2013

Runtime 180 Minutes