Nadine Macaluso is using TikTok to expose the real-life, not-so glamorous story behind The Wolf of Wall Street. The former model, who now works as a marriage and family counselor, was the source material for Margot Robbie’s Naomi Lapaglia in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 biographical drama.
Macaluso often uses her TikTok to educate women on abusive relationships – breaking down topics like gaslighting and trauma bonds – but has shifted focus to give insight into her relationship with the real Jordan Belfort (whose memoir was adapted to make the film) and the accuracy of the movie.
“Can you imagine having a movie made about your life, about your love life that was a Greek tragedy? It’s not fun,” said Macaluso in one video. “If you look at it through Jordan’s lens, it was really accurate. I think that if you look at it through my lens, it wasn’t, and that makes sense because that was actually how our marriage was.” The two were married for 14 years before divorcing in 2005, with Malcaluso citing domestic abuse.
Macaluso reflected on how she first met Belfort, confirming that the scene in the film where Jonah Hill‘s Donnie Azoff (based on real-life former stock broker Danny Porush) exposes himself to her was real. She said, “It was actually pretty similar to the movie. I was 22 years old and modeling, and my boyfriend at the time said, ‘Do you want to go to this party in West Hampton at this house on the beach?’ and I was like ‘sure.'”
@drnaelmftWhat happened when I met The Wolf of Wall Street in the Hamptons. The movie was pretty accurate! #wolfofwallst #wolfofwallstreetnaomi #wolfofwallstreetmovie #wolfofwallstreetmeme #wolfofwallstreetedit #wolfofwallstreetdaddy #thewolfofwallstreet #naomiwolfofwallstreet #margotrobbie #margotrobbieedit #margotrobbieofficial #margotrobbiefan #margotrobbiewolfofwallstreet #lovemargot #margotbela #margotrobbiestyle #drnadinemacaluso #drnadine #drnae #leonardodicaprio #leonardodicaprioedit #leonardodicapriofanpage #leonardodicapriomovies #martinscorsese #martinscorsesefilms #martinscorsesemoviesbelike #martinscorseseedit #tiktok #tiktokviral #tiktoker #tiktokfamous #tiktokwomen #tiktokviral #tiktokvideo #tiktokcelebsnews #tiktoktherapy #tiktoktherapist #toktherapy #toktherapist #therapy #therapist #longisland #the90s #westhampton #thehamptons #naomiwolfofwallstreet #wolfofwallstreetnaomi #drnadinemacaluso #drnae #drnadine
♬ original sound – Dr. Nadine Macaluso
She continued to say that everybody was “acting really weird” and were “Quaalude-d out.” She added, “They were all with their wives and they were making lewd and weird comments. And that scene where someone actually exposes himself to me was true. I actually got terrified by that. I was 22 and I said to my boyfriend at the time, ‘we have to leave this party,’ and we left right away.”
The Wolf of Wall Street follows Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) through his corruption-filled career as a stock broker in New York City. The film premiered to critical acclaim and was nominated for five Academy Awards and eight MTV Movie Awards – with Hill winning for Best Comedic Performance.
In another TikTok, Macaluso shared that she met with Robbie and her speech coach pre-production – at the request of Scorsese. “They asked me if I would meet with Margot, so they could get my accent,” she recalled. “So I flew into New York, and I met with Margot and her speech coach in the lobby of my hotel. They taped me and then I took her to dinner.”
@drnaelmftWhat happened when I met Margot Robbie to play me in “The Wolf of Wall Street” ❤️ #margotrobbie #margotrobbieedit #margotrobbiemovies #margotrobbieinterview #margotrobbieofficial #naomiwolfofwallstreet #wolfofwallstreet #wolfofwallstreetnaomi #wolfofwallstreetnaomi #margotrobbiewolfofwallstreet #margotrobbiefan #margot #drnadine #drnae #drnadinemacaluso #tiktok #tiktoknews #tiktokviral #tiktokceleb #tiktokceleberity #tiktokcelebnews #tiktoknewsupdate #movies #bts #hollywood #reallifestory #tiktoktherapist #martinscorsese #martinscorcese #martinscorsesefilms #martinscorsesemoviesbelike
♬ Summer – Instrumental – Devinney
Macaluso said that Robbie was 22 years old at the time and expressed her fear of “being naked and all the sex scenes.” The mother-of-two told her, “That fear that you feel about speaking your truth to powerful men, embody that, and you’ll do a great job. And you know what, she did. She was fantastic.”
In other videos, she confirmed that the boat scene where Belfort’s superyacht sank was “totally true” and “terrifying” – and shared the real-life footage of their rescue by the Italian Navy – and described instances where Belfort would gaslight her about his infidelity and manipulate her with “love-bombing”.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for another film… this time through Macaluso’s POV.
If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.