Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street blurred the lines between reality and fiction. A cursory Google search of the real-life Jordan Belfort will only confirm this, with certain interviews casting him in a light which would convince the everyday person he was indeed Leonardo DiCaprio’s characterisation. But just how on target was the critically acclaimed film? Below, you may treat yourself to a side-by-side comparison between real-life moments of Belfort at the height of Stratton Oakmont with scenes from the film.
The House Party
Film
Real-life
The gratuitous showcase of recreational substance abuse has obviously been added for dramatic effect. And whether the whole Steve Madden discussion actually occurred then is still up for debate (among other things). But it’s an interesting look at the difference between Belfort’s real speech and the fictitious version.
“I’m not fucking leaving!”
Film
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Real-life
Granted, the real-life version of this isn’t actually the “I’m not fucking leaving” moment. But it is one of the surviving reels of footage we have depicting the real-life Belfort addressing the upstanding employees of Stratton Oakmont in a rousing fashion (“rousing” /s). It’s also interesting to note how Belfort claimed in his book that he consistently captivated the attention of those around him whenever he spoke – yet had to shush all those coked-up stockbrokers like a group of restless toddlers during grandad’s funeral. How’s his eyelid action, by the way? It is to our expert opinion that a few cheeky nose beers were involved here.
Mad Max
Film
Real-life
As multiple sources have confirmed, apart from being exaggerated with Rob Reiner’s imposing physique, the film’s portrayal of Mad Max was fairly on point. Here he is with the real-life counterpart of Margot Robbie’s showstopping character, Naomi Lapaglia. If you jump to 1:43 of the real-life “I’m not fucking leaving” video above, you can actually hear Mad Max spouting off in true anger management gone wrong fashion.
