To hear a story about Hollywood's ageist attitude to female actors doesn't come as much of a surprise. But to hear that a 28-year-old actress was deemed "too old" to play a 29-year-old woman is, frankly, laughable.
But that's just what happened to Olivia Wilde when she auditioned for the role of Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street.
"My agent told me I was 'too sophisticated', and I thought, 'Oh that's nice, I like that feedback'," Wilde revealed on The Howard Stern Show.
"I found out later that they actually meant 'old'."
Listen to Olivia Wilde's interview here:
The part of Naomi was based on Nadine Caridi, who married Jordan Belfort in 1991. Belfort, of course, was the Wolf himself played sensationally by Leonardo DiCaprio.
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As Cinema Blend points out, Nadine was 29 at the time, making her closer to Wilde's age (then 28) than then-22-year-old Margot Robbie, who landed the coveted role.
It was the part that broke Robbie into Hollywood, leading to a string of other high-profile jobs, including Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad.
However, Wilde - who turned 32 last week - described Robbie's performance as "perfect".
"She kicked so much ass in that movie," she added.
There's a happy ending to the story, however. Wilde's failed audition still impressed the film's director, Martin Scorsese, who soon after The Wolf of Wall Street set about creating HBO's TV show Vinyl with Mick Jagger. And he cast Wilde.
She plays Devon Finestra in the series, about the drug-fuelled New York music scene in the 1970s. Devon is a former model and actress, married to Richie Finestra, the protagonist played by Bobby Cannavale.
Scorsese directed the first episode and remains on as executive producer.
"I did not [have to audition] because I had auditioned unsuccessfully for Wolf of Wall Street," Wilde explained. "That was the part I was too old for.
"I was cool. It shows that even if you don't get something it might lead to something else."
Vinyl is on Sky Atlantic on Mondays at 9pm. Catch Margot Robbie next in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on April 22 in the UK. Watch a trailer below:
