Director Martin Scorsese has paid tribute to Margot Robbie’s acting talents – and recounted how she secured her Wolf Of Wall Street role by slapping Leonardo DiCaprio in the face.

Former Neighbours actress Margot starred as Naomi, the wife of DiCaprio’s character Jordan Belfort, in Scorsese’s 2013 biopic.

The Raging Bull and Goodfellas director wrote about her audition for her listing in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list for 2017.

Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese has nothing but praise for Margot Robbie (Sean Dempsey/PA)

Scorsese wrote: “She clinched her part in The Wolf Of Wall Street during our first meeting – by hauling off and giving Leonardo DiCaprio a thunderclap of a slap on the face, an improvisation that stunned us all.”

He also said she had “a unique audacity that surprises and challenges and just burns like a brand into every character she plays”.

The director added: “Margot is stunning in all she is and all she does, and she will astonish us forever.”

Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio
Margot Robbie and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio (Ian West/PA)

In 2015, Margot told Harper’s Bazaar about her experience of The Wolf Of Wall Street audition.

She said: “In my head I was like: ‘You have literally 30 seconds left in this room and if you don’t do something impressive nothing will ever come of it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance, just take it.’

“And so I start screaming at (DiCaprio) and he’s yelling back at me, and he’s really scary, I can barely keep up. And he ends it saying: ‘You should be happy to have a husband like me. Now get over here and kiss me.’”

She continued: “So I walk up really close to his face and then I’m like: ‘Maybe I should kiss him. When else am I ever going to get a chance to kiss Leo DiCaprio, ever?’

“But another part of my brain clicks and I just go, whack! I hit him in the face, and then I scream, ‘F*** you!’ and that’s not in the script at all. The room just went dead silent and I froze.”