Margot Robbie later went on to defend the full-frontal scenes she was involved in during the shooting of The Wolf of Wall Street movie.
Margot Robbie is best known as the Oscar-nominated actor behind I, Tonya and Bombshell, as well as her memorable performance as Harley Quinn in DC Studios movies. But she wasn’t always destined to grab these prestigious gongs. After starring in The Wolf of Wall Street in 2013 (which you can watch for free on Amazon Prime Video using the link below), her career was at risk of going nowhere after producers felt she was pigeonholed as a “sex symbol” more than a legitimate actor, following her nude scenes. Thankfully, she had someone fighting her corner.
Robbie played Naomi Lapaglia in the dramatic retelling of the life of Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street mogul who worked on the stock exchange. In it, her character used her sexuality to get what she wanted from Jordan, before eventually becoming his wife.
In the movie, Robbie bared all in a few scenes while she was wooing Jordan. This involved standing in a doorway with nothing but stockings on, as well as laying on a bed full of money completely nude. And there were no stunt doubles here – Robbie really showed everything. And while the movie made her extremely popular, it also did not give her career the perfect trajectory.
Just a few years later, in 2018, she auditioned for the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots opposite Saoirse Ronan. In the picture, Robbie played Elizabeth I, a stern and sharp-tongued monarch who was given a borderline grotesque look with striking hair and make-up choices.
Unfortunately, Robbie almost missed out on this role after her Wolf of Wall Street role. Mary Queen of Scots director Josie Rourke admitted Robbie was “not her first choice” for the powerful role.
What’s more, the film crew were “unable to imagine Robbie as Elizabeth I” thinking she was more of a character actor than the daunting figure that was Elizabeth I.
Speaking at the Power of Film symposium, Rourke spoke out about the crew’s reservations: “In their heads, she was probably lodged more as a sex symbol figure than she was as Elizabeth I.”
Eventually, however, Rourke spoke out in defence of Robbie: “But I made the argument for it.”
The Australian actor was hired for the role, and she delivered a stunning performance. She even earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress the following year.
But even Robbie knew she had to fight for a new look for her film career.
Robbie told Harper’s Bazaar she was looking to play a different kind of woman in her next movie: “I didn’t want to pick up another script where I was the wife or the girlfriend — just a catalyst for the male story line. It was uninspiring.”
Once she got the role, however, she committed to it. She delivered a foreboding performance that no doubt matched her haunting look. And, as a result, she felt “left out” of the cast and crew.
Robbie said: “It was very alienating. And I felt very lonely. It was an interesting social experiment.” She said her co-stars were too “spooked” to talk to her between scenes. “I’d say: ‘Hey, how’s your weekend?’” she recalled. “But they wouldn’t even get close to me.”
Despite the fact Robbie was almost cast aside for this serious role because of her previously raunchy scenes, she has since defended how she was portrayed in the adult movie.
Robbie defended the Wolf of Wall Street director Martin Scorsese and his decision to have her nude for large portions of the movie.
“I think nudity for the sake of nudity is shameful,” she said. “If they’ve put it in just so that a girl gets her top off, then that’s disgusting. And you can always tell. But I also think it’s disgusting when someone would have got naked in real life, in the film they conveniently leave their bra on or hold up the bed sheet.” (Via The Telegraph)
She added that Naomi’s nudity and sexuality were her forms of persuasion. “The whole point of Naomi is that her body is her only form of currency in this world.”
She later told the director that Naomi “had” to be naked during these scenes, not covered up. “She’s laying her cards on the table,” she noted.
SOURCE: express.co.uk
