How I Met Your Mother actor Cristin Milioti has recalled slapping 'the hell' out of Leonardo DiCaprio while filming The Wolf of Wall Street.
Even when being paid to do it, I can imagine it takes a lot of guts to slap someone as popular as DiCaprio even once, let alone multiple times. But someone had to do it for the good of Martin Scorsese's 2013 film, and that someone just so happened to be Milioti.
The actor starred in The Wolf of Wall Street as Teresa Petrillo, the first wife of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who was played in the film by DiCaprio.
Having previously appeared in titles including The Sopranos, 30 Rock and The Good Wife, the project marked Milioti's first time on such a big movie set; a prospect which understandably proved daunting.
In an interview with The Independent, the actor admitted she 'spent so much of that experience being so terrified of messing it up', saying: “I’d never been on a movie set that big. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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"I wish I had taken it in more and let go more. But if I had fully taken it in, I would have blacked out. I don’t think my brain was even computing.”
Milioti spends much of her time in the film acting as a supportive, patient wife to Belfort, encouraging him to target rich investors and standing by even as he flirts with Naomi Lapaglia (Margot Robbie).
However, things take a turn when she learns Belfort is cheating on her, and she ends up hitting her husband and asking him he if loves Naomi.
Recalling the scene, Milioti described it as a 'wild night'. The cast and crew worked from 8pm to 8am and shot the scene 'over and over and over', with Milioti repeatedly having to have her character take out her anger on DiCaprio.
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Though actors typically go easy when it comes to hitting their co-workers on screen, Milioti responded to the question of whether she ever accidentally slapped DiCaprio in the face by saying: "I did, a bunch of times."
She continued: "I just kind of slapped the hell out of him for 12 hours. I always had a real attachment to that scene, because you get to see this character, who has swallowed a lot of her feelings down, really get to let loose.”
Though Milioti's disdain for Belfort was fictional, her dislike of another person who appeared on set at that time was a lot more real.
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The scene was filmed outside Trump Tower, and Milioti revealed the former President made an appearance, saying: "He crashed the set and he was a complete and utter buffoon, as we all know.”
At least Trump didn't feel the wrath of Milioti's hands - hopefully DiCaprio will likely have forgiven her for the repeated attacks by now.
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Topics: Film and TV, Leonardo DiCaprio, Celebrity
Emily Brown