Margot Robbie said she had to ‘bury’ her embarrassment ‘really deep’
Margot Robbie opened up on what it was like to ‘pretend to touch herself for 17 hours’ while filming one of The Wolf of Wall Street‘s most memorable scenes,
Martin Scorsese’s beloved film follows the real-life story of millionaire stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio as he embarks on this to-riches journey and ultimate downfall.
Robbie featured as Naomi Lapaglia, based on Belfort’s real-life ex-wife.
The movie has largely been thought to have catapulted Robbie to fame.
In particular, a scene where Naomi seduces Jordan in their child’s nursery has stuck with fans.
And while the scene may have set pulses racing for viewers, Robbie has admitted filming it wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
This famous scene could have been different (Paramount Pictures)
“It doesn’t come across when you’re watching the movie, but in reality we’re in a tiny bedroom with 30 crew crammed in,” she told Porter.
“All men. And for 17 hours I’m pretending to be touching myself.
“It’s just a very weird thing and you have to bury the embarrassment and absurdity, really deep, and fully commit.”
It’s not the only time Robbie has spoken about the scene, having told IndieWire that it was originally quite a bit longer, and she was ‘dreading’ having to watch the full thing back.
She said: “It was when she was messing with him, saying how ‘it’s going to be nothing but short skirts for a very long time, Daddy,’ and she’s touching herself, effectively masturbating.
“And he starts telling her a story about their happy life together and how they got all this money, they got these security guards and blah, blah, blah.
“She’s getting more and more into the story, and she thinks she’s totally got him, but it’s just so uncomfortable once you see what’s coming.
“So she’s really touching herself a lot, really getting into it and moaning, and he’s going with this story. And then he says she’s on-camera and she freaks out and covers herself up.
Robbie played Jordan’s real-life ex-wife (Paramount Pictures)
“To somewhat of my relief, because I was secretly dreading that scene. That was going to be more uncomfortable to watch than the sex scene at the end. It was going to be really awkward.”
In the original script, Naomi was supposed to pull aside her underwear using her heel, but in the final cut, she pokes her stiletto heel into Jordan’s face.
Immediately after reading the script, Robbie knew it just couldn’t be done.
“I remember thinking when I read it, ‘That’s just impossible,’” Robbie said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
“I was like, ‘No, I’m right, that is absolutely impossible.”
So because Robbie doesn’t possess absurd levels of flexibility, the scene ended up being changed.
Featured Image Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images/ Paramount Pictures
