Based on the true events of New York City stockbroker, Jordan Belfort,The Wolf of Wall Streettells the story of a quick come up and a very fatal fall. It’s gritty, it’s exhilarating, and it’s unfair. The way money enhances the quality of life for not only Belfort, but also his colleagues, is outstanding — as is the amount of money that was actually made.
In 1987, Belfort solidified his first stockbroker job. It wouldn’t be soon after that he was fired due to a crash in the market. He then works for a brokerage firm selling penny stocks in a not-so-glamorous Long Island boiler room. Though his first job under Mark Hanna would introduce him to the traffic and usage of drugs in the business, Belfort wasn’t quick to indulge in what he saw his hire up doing. However, whenBelfort’s neighbor, Donnie Azoff, is in the picture, things start to change for the better…and worse.
Soon, Belfort would take any and all drugs he could get his hands on. He was making millions of dollars every day, but that wouldn’t be enough for Belfort and his business partner Donnie. They wanted more and when they got it, they wanted even more. Whether it was money, drugs, or women — they had to have it. And once Belfort left his penny stocks job to invest in his own company, Stratton Oakmont, there was nearly no stopping him from getting to where and what he wanted.
Unfortunately, Belfort’s run with riches ran into some trouble with the federal government. Belfort attempted to hide his multi-million dollars illegally in offshore accounts, having his friends and wife, Naomi Lapaglia, tape cash to her body while flying to countries like Sweden to bank their money. Belfort was eventually arrested and given a plea deal that he ended up turning down. After serving 22 months in prison, he lost not only his family, and his friends, but also his company Stratton Oakmont.
If you’re a fan ofThe Wolf of Wall Street, here are ten things you may not know about the film.
Jonah Hill Contracted Bronchitis
Being that there was so much drug involvement in the film, depicting the life of Jordan Belfort, actors were ordered to snort crushed-up vitamin B’s. This resultedin Jonah Hill, who plays Donnie Azoff, Belfort’s friend and business partner, reportedly contracting bronchitis from inhaling the vitamin so frequently during filming.
Actors Were Advised to Improvise
Many ofThe Wolf of Wall Streetscenes were improvised. Director Martin Scorsese was adamant that actors make up as much dialogue as possible. This resulted in one of the movie’s iconic scenes with Matthew McConaughey, who played Belfort’s first boss in the stockbroker business, Mark Hanna, beating on his chest while humming. This happened at the beginning of the film when he and Belfort were in a middle-of-the-day meeting after Hanna offered Belfort a great deal of drugs while working.
Related:The Wolf of Wall Street: Margot Robbie’s Best Moments in the Movie, Ranked
Steven Spielberg Codirected Belfort’s Steve Madden Speech
On one occasion, renowned director Steven Spielberg visited the set ofThe Wolf of Wall Street.Not only that, but he assisted in directing one of the film’s most notable scenes. This instance was when Belfort was filming his Steve Madden speech. The speech consisted of Belfort essentially bleeding his heart out for his company Stratton Oakmont. Scorsese reports that Spielberg gave actors advice and the filmmaker’s camera angle guidance.
Leonardo DiCaprio Strained His Back During Filming
When actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Jordan Belfort, was filming his car scene where he was impaired on Quaaludes, also known as “lemons,” he took complete charge of its direction. He improvised most of the scene, resulting in him opening the door to his white Lamborghini Countach with his foot. This then caused DiCaprio to strain his back, giving filmmakers only one take of the scene to use.
Jonah Hill Took a Pay Cut
Though Scorsese requested a meeting with actor Jonah Hill to go over the part of Donnie Azoff, Hill demanded that he audition for the part. He hadn’t auditioned for a role in six years, but Scorsese was impressed. Hill then took a pay cut to seal the deal and was only paid $60,000, a Screen Actors Guild minimum. Hill was also so invested in his character portrayal, that when he had a lisp from wearing a set of teeth, he would call businesses for hours on end and talk in order to adapt to his role of Azoff, the spitfire.
Jordan Belfort Coached Leonardo DiCaprio on His Character Portrayal
to portray the accuracy of Belfort’s absurd drug habits and various other addictions, DiCaprio waspersonally coached by Belforton how to project the proper persona. What’s more, DiCaprio was invested in Belfort before the inception of the film. Since 2007, he had grown mesmerized by Belfort’s courage to be as raw as possible about his experience on Wall Street. This interest then resulted in a very, very, believable character portrayal by DiCaprio.
The Wolf of Wall Street Is Martin Scorsese’s Highest Grossing Film
Director Martin Scorsese has been in the film business since 1967 after his directorial debut,Who’s That Knocking at My Door.He’s been the recipient of many awards including three Oscars, three Emmys, and three Grammys. Though he’s provided a great deal to the guild, his highest-grossing overall film would beThe Wolf of Wall Street,having made $406.9 million at the box office.
Stratton Oakmont Alums Worked on Set
If there’s one thing we know aboutThe Wolf of Wall Streetis that the characters lay it all out for the camera. They’re gritty and unapologetic toward every act of insanity. That’s why, to make scenes more believable, Scorsese brought in real stockbrokers from Stratton Oakmont, as Belfort was insistent on having only the truth be told.
Related:What Margot Robbie Risked to Make The Wolf of Wall Street
There Were More Than 569 Swear Words in the Film
Ranking as the third movie with the most F-bombs,The Wolf of Wall Streetused the swear word 569 times across the span of the three-hour movie. This number does not include any other swear words, so the total number is much higher.
Mark Hanna Buys Part of Stratton Oakmont
Mark Hanna, Belfort’s first boss in the stockbroker business, and the influence behind Belfort’s drug and money abuse, was also sentenced to time in prison for fraud. Hanna also reportedly bought 25% of Stratton Oakmont from Belfort,working for him for two years. This was not included in the film.
