If you saw The Wolf of Wall Street back in 2013, you probably remember the nursery scene. It’s the one where Margot Robbie, playing Naomi Lapaglia, decides to teach Jordan Belfort a lesson in the most confrontational way possible. It’s a moment that didn't just shock audiences—it basically launched Robbie into the stratosphere of Hollywood A-listers.
Honestly, though? The story behind the Margot Robbie nude scene in Wolf of Wall Street is way more interesting than what ended up on the screen. Most people assume a legendary director like Martin Scorsese might have pushed a young, unknown actress into doing something she wasn't ready for.
That is the exact opposite of what happened.
The Secret Story Behind the Nursery Scene
When you're 22 and working on your first big American movie, you’d expect to be terrified. Margot was. But she was also incredibly smart about her character. During the filming of that specific scene in the nursery, Scorsese actually gave her an out.
He suggested she wear a robe. He told her she didn't have to go full-frontal if it made her uncomfortable.
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Robbie said no.
She argued that Naomi wouldn't wear a robe. In her mind, the whole point of that scene was Naomi using her body as a weapon—a form of "currency" in a world where men like Jordan only understood power and money. She told the Talking Pictures podcast that baring it all was "the card she’s playing." If she’d covered up, the scene would have lost its bite. It wouldn't have been Naomi.
Tequila and Paper Cuts
Despite her conviction, the nerves were real. You don't just walk onto a set with 30 crew members—mostly men—and feel totally fine. To get through it, Margot famously took three shots of tequila before the cameras rolled. She called it "Dutch courage." It worked.
The nursery wasn't the only "physical" challenge on that set, either. Remember the scene where she and Leo have sex on a literal mountain of cash?
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It sounds glamorous. It wasn't.
Robbie has since joked about the "million paper cuts" she got from the fake money. Apparently, paper is surprisingly sharp when you’re rolling around on it for hours. So while the world saw a high-flying lifestyle of excess, Margot was basically getting band-aged up between takes.
That Audition Slap
The boldness she showed during the Margot Robbie nude scene in Wolf of Wall Street actually started months earlier in the audition room. She was reading with Leonardo DiCaprio. The script said they were supposed to kiss at the end of a fight.
Margot had a split-second thought: "I could kiss Leo DiCaprio. That would be awesome. I can't wait to tell my friends."
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Then, another part of her brain took over. She didn't kiss him. She "walloped" him in the face and screamed, "F*** you!"
The room went dead silent. She thought she’d get arrested for assault. Instead, Scorsese and DiCaprio burst out laughing. That one improvised slap is why she got the part. It proved she could stand toe-to-toe with the biggest actor in the world without blinking.
Why This Scene Still Matters in 2026
It’s easy to dismiss nudity in films as just "eye candy," but the industry looks at this specific performance as a masterclass in agency. Robbie wasn't a victim of the "male gaze" here; she was the one in control of the shot. She’s since become one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood through her company, LuckyChap.
She knew then what many people are just realizing now: Naomi Lapaglia wasn't just a trophy wife. She was a strategist.
What You Can Learn from Margot’s Move
- Own Your Narrative: If you’re going to do something risky, do it because it fits your vision, not because someone else told you to.
- Preparation Meets Boldness: She did the work on the Brooklyn accent and the character's psyche, which gave her the confidence to make big choices on set.
- Don't Settle for "Comfortable": If she had taken Scorsese’s offer of a robe, the scene might have been forgotten. By leaning into the discomfort, she created a career-defining moment.
If you’re looking to break into a competitive field, sometimes you have to play the biggest card in your hand. For Margot Robbie, that meant trusting her gut, taking a few shots of tequila, and showing the world exactly who Naomi was.
Next time you watch the film, look past the shock value. Notice the power dynamic. That’s where the real story is.