Margot Robbie Opens Up About Slapping Leo DiCaprio and Then Fearing Jail Time: “It Was Dead Silent…”

Margot Robbie won many accolades, including an Oscar nomination for her breakout role as Naomi Lapaglia in Wolf of the Wall Street . But, while auditioning for the part she made a grave mistake— one she feared would land her in jail. Robbie recalled a key scene that was improvised at the last minute leading to a shocking result. “In my head, I was like, ‘ I could totally kiss Leonardo DiCaprio right now. That would be awesome. I can’t wait to tell all my friends this.’ And then I was like, ‘Nah,’ and just sort of walloped him in the face,” she revealed during a recent appearance on the Talking Pictures podcast .

According to Huff Post , the Barbie actress recounted how her spontaneity caused an awkward silence. “It was dead silent for what felt like an eternity but was probably three seconds,” she admitted. But to her relief director Martin Scorsese and DiCaprio applauded her unexpected move. “They just burst out laughing. Leo and Marty were laughing so hard. They were like, ‘That was great.’” In response, podcast host, Ben Mankiewicz, inquired, “What’s going through your mind in those three seconds?” Robbie answered, “I was like, ‘You’re going to get arrested. I’m pretty sure that is assault or battery . Not only will you never work again, but actually, you will go to jail for this, you idiot.’” She added, “And also, ‘Why did you have to do it so hard? You could’ve done it lighter.’”

That’s not all. The Suicide Squad actress also confessed to feeling embarrassed on another occasion. As per Entertainment Weekly , Robbie revealed an unusual set ritual she follows before acting out sad scenes— she likes to drown herself in sorrow and sob uncontrollably while listening to the movie Titanic ‘s theme track. “I can even just hear the theme music of Titanic , and I’ll be bawling,” Robbie said. “And so that’s what I do on set if I need to cry in a scene.” She shared being once immersed in her rehearsal with the music blasting when Kate Winslet and DiCaprio walked past her room.

“On Wolf of Wall Street , there was the big, crazy scene after I ask for a divorce and stuff. And Kate Winslet came to visit the set…to visit Leo that day,” the Babylon actress remembered. “I was in the room next to them, listening to the Titanic soundtrack trying to stay in sad, teary mode. And then I saw Kate Winslet and Leo walk past. It was very surreal.”

DiCaprio and Robbie reunited in 2019 for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood , six years after their first film won worldwide success. As per Elle magazine , DiCaprio lauded his co-star for her incredible screen presence. “On Wolf of Wall Street , seeing Margot come in and read that scene with me I just knew I was witnessing a dynamic presence in cinema that was about to be,” he said. “[Martin] Scorcese and myself were blown away by how much she gave back to the scene, fought back and we both immediately knew she was going to have an incredible career.” Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, their second collaboration went on to earn ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture.