Margot Robbie explained why she used her hands so much in Wolf of Wall Street

Amidst all the Quaalude-inspired mayhem, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed Margot Robbie waves her hands around an awful lot in The Wolf of Wall Street - and now she's explained why.

Margot starred in the hit film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, 48, who portrayed former millionaire stockbroker Jordan Belfort.

Margot's character Naomi Lapaglia was inspired by Belfort's second wife Nadine Macaluso.

Her role as Leonardo's on-screen wife catapulted Margot to worldwide fame and saw her acting career take off, but she has previously admitted she didn't think she was 'good enough' for the role.

Universal Studios

In a 2017 interview with Wonderland, she said: "I was terrified that people would see the movie and think, 'Ugh! She's not good enough.'"

Revealing why she doubted herself, the actress added: "I was very conscious that the script said, 'The sexiest blonde ever'. Clearly I'm not the sexiest blonde in history."

However, her portrayal of Naomi won her positive reviews from critics and the film was a huge success, grossing $392 million (£317m) worldwide.

One crucial part of her portrayal of Belfort's wife was a convincing Brooklyn accent - and her dialect coach gave her a surprising tip to ensure she nailed it.

Universal Studios

The actor, 32, revealed how she managed to disguise her Australian accent so well in the hit 2013 film and why she used her hands so much in scenes.

She explained how her accent coach told her to pretend she'd just had a manicure in order to perfect her Brooklyn accent.

"My acting coach back in L.A, Nancy Banks, said pretend you have acrylic nails, and they've just been put on and they've painted them and they're still wet," Margot told Absolute Radio.

She went on to add: "Suddenly I'm doing all these hand gestures and then, that's where the accent started."

Margot was just 22 years old at the time and her overnight fame prompted her to consider turning her back on acting altogether.

Paramount Pictures.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress said she confided in her mum following the film's release.

Margot recalled: "Something was happening in those early stages and it was all pretty awful, and I remember saying to my mom, ‘I don’t think I want to do this.'

“And she just looked at me, completely straight-faced, and was like, ‘Darling, I think it’s too late not to.’ That’s when I realized the only way was forward."