Margot Robbie has undeniably skyrocketed to stardom over the past decade, boasting two Oscar nominations and a lineup of remarkable directorial collaborations, from Scorsese to Tarantino. She's even set to bring the iconic Barbie to life in a highly anticipated live-action adaptation.
However, if there's one film that introduced her to mainstream audiences, it's undoubtedly "The Wolf of Wall Street." Starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, the film delved into the life of Jordan Belfort, a notorious New York Stock Exchange broker, and featured numerous explicit scenes involving Robbie.
In the film, Robbie portrayed Belfort's second wife, a role she candidly described as "apprehensive" during an interview with The Telegraph. In another interview with The New York Times, she revealed the challenges she faced in preparing for a pivotal moment in the film, where her character appears completely naked.
Robbie recalled her initial hesitations, saying, "I can't do this. My first naughty scene was standing in the doorway totally naked." In response to her concerns, the film's director, Martin Scorsese, offered to tone down the scenes or exclude them entirely. However, Robbie, resolute in her commitment, insisted on proceeding with the scenes as originally planned, which meant full nudity.
During the Telegraph interview, Robbie elaborated on her reasons for this choice, expressing her discomfort with gratuitous nudity. She said, "Nudity, just for the sake of nudity, feels awkward to me. If it's in the film merely for a girl to take off her bra, it's gratuitous. You can always tell when it's like that."
Furthermore, Robbie found it equally uncomfortable when a character who would naturally be naked intentionally retained their clothing or concealed themselves with a sheet. She explained, "Seeing someone choreographed to appear covered up is just as bothersome to me."
In the case of her character, Naomi, Robbie believed that nudity was an essential element. She emphasized that Naomi used her body to assert herself, making it a vital part of her character. So, when Scorsese suggested that she could wear a sheet in the seduction scene with Jordan, Robbie firmly declined, asserting that her character should be presented fully nude.
This decision exemplified Robbie's dedication to her craft and her commitment to portraying her characters authentically, even in her earliest major role. It served as a testament to her unwavering passion for acting and cinema, setting her on a path to become one of the industry's most celebrated talents.
