Olivia Wilde's Age Was a Problem During 'Wolf of Wall Street' Casting

Culture

While Olivia Wilde is currently making headway in HBO's Vinyl — the pilot episode of which was directed by Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese — the actress recently noted she was snubbed for another cocaine-filled Scorsese production. In an interview on the Howard Stern Show on Tuesday, Wilde said she auditioned for The Wolf of Wall Street likely the role of Jordan Belfort's wife, which was later played by Margot Robbie, though she didn't specify — and was deemed "too old" to play the part. 

"The funniest thing I heard recently was, I had heard for a part that I was too sophisticated," Wilde said on the show, when asked if she'd missed out on a part for being too beautiful. "And I was like, 'Oh, that sounds nice. I like that feedback. I didn't get the part, but I'm a very sophisticated person.' And then I found out later that they actually said 'old.' I want to make a translation sheet for Hollywood that's all the feedback your agents give you and then what it really means. ... I did not [have to audition for Vinyl], because I had auditioned unsuccessfully for Wolf of Wall Street — that's the one I was too old for." 

Wilde was 28 when she auditioned for the role. In contrast, Leonardo DiCaprio — who played to-be husband Belfort — was 39 at the time of the movie's release, and Wilde is a few months younger than DiCaprio's Wolf of Wall Street co-star, Jonah Hill. Unfortunately, given the slew of women in Hollywood who are underrepresented and hypersexualized — and, to Wilde's point, who constantly deal with industry ageism — her statement doesn't exactly buck the trend. 

Read more: Hollywood's Ageism Is Most Obvious in One Kind of Character: Moms

h/t Vulture