Joanna Lumley accepted Wolf of Wall Street role after being promised she could snog Leonardo DiCaprio
Joanna Lumley has opened up on why she accepted her role in The Wolf of Wall Street and we're loving her honesty.
The 77-year-old actor starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2013 movie The Wolf of Wall Street, taking on the role of Emma, the classy British aunt of Margot Robbie's character.
If you've somehow still not seen the film, firstly shame on you, and secondly, the Martin Scorsese-led movie is set in 1987 and follows the real-life portrayal of Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) who takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm.
Advert
The movie is undoubtedly just as wild as Belfort's real life, with it documenting his rise and fall as a Wall Street stockbroker.
The film also includes the copious amount of drugs consumed, the money - which was often illegally made, and of course, Belfort's relationships, affairs and flings.
And one scene in the film - which didn't actually happen in real life, thankfully - showed Belfort kissing his wife's aunt Emma, played by none other than Joanna Lumley.
Now, in a new interview with actor Rob Brydon - who starred alongside Robbie in Barbie - Lumley revealed how the role in The Wolf of Wall Street actually came about.
"First of all I think this is the story, he wanted Julie Andrews to do it and Julie had just had that throat operation," she said.
"Then they thought of getting an English actress and they sent it to Eileen Atkins who was very busy doing probably Doc Martin or something and couldn't break her contract to do it - and then it came to me.
"So although I now pretend to boast to people and say 'oh you know Leo had seen me and adored me, Martin (Scorsese) admired me forever', that's not strictly true.
"But they send you the script, we do it now in England, but in those days only American scripts would come with your name printed diagonally in grey across it on every single page.
"You go 'They want me in their film and this is my script', so you see I just said 'Yes'
"They said 'No look look look at the script'."
The script read 'Kiss Leo DiCaprio,' and the actor's response was 'Yes yes yes I'd love, yes I'd love to do this, I think I can fit it in'.
I mean, you could be forgiven for thinking that getting paid to make out with a Hollywood star is a pretty sweet deal.
But apparently not.
Speaking at a dinner for the Elizabeth’s Legacy of Hope charity a while back, the Brit said it's really no fun kissing on film.
"I did kiss Leonardo DiCaprio, about 15 times in fact," she recalled.
“But I'll let you into a secret. It's actually no fun kissing actors, no fun at all. There are so many takes and you both have to chew so much chewing gum.
"It's like kissing someone in a dentist's waiting room."
Topics: Leonardo DiCaprio, TV and Film, Celebrity
Anish Vij