The Wolf of Wall Street, a biographical crime comedy from the United States, premiered in 2013 under the direction of Martin Scorsese.
The screenplay by Terence Winter is adapted from the memoir of the same name by Jordan Belfort and recounts Belfort’s perspective on his career as a stockbroker in New York City. He is following how his firm, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street, ultimately leading to his downfall.
- Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Belfort (and co-produced the film), with Jonah Hill as his business partner and friend Donnie Azoff. Margot Robbie portrays his second wife, Naomi Lapaglia, while Kyle Chandler plays Patrick Denham, the FBI agent attempting to undermine him.
- Now you’ve been warned of some slightly inappropriate photos by some viewers; you will get it if you have watched the film! For his role, Leonardo DiCaprio received $25 million, a quarter of the film’s budget, making him the highest-paid star of the year.
- Five countries banned this movie because of its high sexual content.
- In an interview with Margot Robbie, she revealed that during the scene where Jordan and Naomi have their first sexual encounter in her apartment, her dog attempted to jump up and bite him. Her dog tried to jump up and bite him during the scene, but they had trouble getting the dog to perform as needed. To solve this, they put dog food and chicken liver all over Leonardo DiCaprio’s feet and between his toes. Real-life ‘Wolf’ Jordan Belfort has a cameo at the film’s end.
- A motivational speaker introduces Leonardo DiCaprio (aka himself). The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) is the popular, non-documentary film with the most “fuck” usage (569 times).
- Martin Scorsese claimed that the sequence of Jordan attempting to get in his car while significantly impaired Lemmons was improvised during filming. Leonardo DiCaprio’s idea is to open the car door with his foot.
- DiCaprio strained his back during the scene and could only perform the stunt once. When Jordan is filming one of his infomercials, he appears on a boat in front of women wearing brightly coloured bikinis.
- This is a direct tribute to Tom Vu’s infomercials from the late 80s and early 90s, where he would invite people to his seminars promising quick wealth.
- In the scene where Margot Robbie strips down for Leo, she is so nervous she has three shots to calm her nerves.
- Martin Scorsese often encouraged improvisation throughout the film. Wanting to work with Martin Scorsese, Jonah Hill took a pay cut by paying the SAG minimum of $60,000.
- Scorsese’s highest-grossing film made $392 million globally. Jordan Belfort coached Leonardo DiCaprio on how to handle his Quaalude misuse and dope-induced brawl with Danny Porush.
- The footage from the 1991 Hamptons beach party is shown in the film with Jordan Belfort and then-fiancée Nadine Caridi (“Naomi Belfort”) on YouTube.
- Margot Robbie confessed that her sex scene with Leonardo DiCaprio on a bed full of cash was highly uncomfortable. The fake paper bills had sharp edges, resulting in multiple paper cuts to her back.
- Jordan Belfort supported the film and accepted his wrong portrayal, although he disagreed with the film’s portrayal of his second marriage’s dissolution. However, he admitted to having hit his wife during a fight; he claims that it happened earlier during the height of his drug addiction and that their breakup occurred without incident when he was clean and sober.
- Leonardo DiCaprio (Jordan Belfort) and Joanna Lumley (Aunt Emma) kissed twenty-seven times because they felt nervous. Blake Lively was considered for the role of Naomi. Teresa Palmer and Amber Heard auditioned for Naomi before Margot Robbie.
- The FBI conducted an interview with Jordan Belfort on his yacht. He hands one of them a list of guests at his wedding. The names on it are the actual names of the film’s crew members.
- In banker cocaine sequences, performers sniffed vitamin B pills. PJ Byrne expressed his fear in an interview with OK! Magazine. He used his wife’s nice old grandmother as a mule to smuggle money out of the U.S.
- Jonah Hill said he masturbated with a prosthetic penis.
- “I had to convince everyone that while their initial inclination was to laugh, I had to take it very seriously so that we got the desired response,” he told the Daily Beast”
- Belfort earned $50 million a year, reportedly making $12 million in three minutes.
- Belfort preferred Quaaludes. Due to double vision, he landed his chopper on his back lawn. Jonah Hill says, “I want everything that might be real to be real [but] PETA wouldn’t let me eat a genuine goldfish.”
- Chris Evans and Joseph Gordon-Levitt auditioned for a role. Production was halted for a week during Hurricane Sandy’s assault on New York in late 2012. A toppled crane nearby denied Martin Scorsese access to his Manhattan film facility on 57th Street, citing safety concerns.
- Martin Scorsese claims he didn’t meet the real Jordan Belfort until the film’s premiere. However, Belfort was on-set with Scorsese present during filming.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” is a compelling and controversial film that sheds light on financial fraud and excess.
This remains a thought-provoking exploration of greed, ambition, and the consequences of unethical behaviour on Wall Street. Overall, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a thought-provoking exploration of greed, ambition, and the consequences of unethical behaviour on Wall Street.
