Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese had been trying to make 'The Wolf of Wall Street' for several years, but the project faced numerous delays before finally being greenlit.
The film set a record for the most uses of the F-word in a mainstream non-documentary film, with the word being used 569 times, averaging nearly three times per minute.
Jonah Hill took a significant pay cut to work on the film, earning only $60,000, which was the minimum SAG rate, because he wanted to work with Scorsese and DiCaprio.
Matthew McConaughey's chest-thumping scene was improvised and was actually part of his warm-up routine before shooting. Leonardo DiCaprio liked it so much that he suggested including it in the film.
The actors snorted crushed B vitamins to simulate cocaine use in the film. Jonah Hill later revealed that he developed bronchitis from inhaling so much of the powder during filming.
Margot Robbie, who played Naomi Lapaglia, was relatively unknown at the time of casting. She became a breakout star due to her performance in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Jordan Belfort, the real-life inspiration for DiCaprio's character, makes a cameo in the film as the man who introduces DiCaprio's version of himself at the end.
To capture the wild party atmosphere, the production team hired real-life partygoers as extras and encouraged them to behave as they normally would at a wild event.
The film's infamous scene of DiCaprio crawling to his car while high on Quaaludes was inspired by a real-life incident Belfort recounted in his memoir. DiCaprio studied videos of people on Quaaludes to perfect the scene.
The yacht sinking scene was based on an actual event where Jordan Belfort's yacht sank off the coast of Sardinia. The real Belfort recounted the story to DiCaprio, who insisted it be included in the film.
Leonardo DiCaprio described his role as Jordan Belfort as the most fun he ever had playing a character, due to the outrageous nature of the scenes and the freedom Scorsese allowed him on set.
Jonah Hill wore a set of fake teeth to portray Donnie Azoff, which altered his speech and helped him get into character.
The Wolf of Wall Street was banned in several countries, including Malaysia, Nepal, and Kenya, due to its explicit content, language, and depiction of drug use and sexual activity.
The film's marketing campaign included a viral online campaign that allowed fans to create their own Wolf of Wall Street memes using dialogue and scenes from the movie.
Despite its three-hour runtime, 'The Wolf of Wall Street' was a commercial success, grossing over $392 million worldwide and becoming one of Scorsese's highest-grossing films.
