Whatever’s going on between Leonardo DiCaprio and his favorite models this month is going to have to take a backseat to court; the Oscar victor is headed for a deposition over claims stemming from the depiction of a character in “The Wolf of Wall Street”.
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Greene contends that the portrayal of a character who engaged in illegal and morally questionable acts in the 2013 film defames him.
While Jordan Belfort actually starred in the film – he’s the guy who introduces “himself” at the end of the film – others involved in the story weren’t so lucky.
The judge granted Mr Greene’s motion to compel a deposition in NY on Thursday, Hollywood Reporter said. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including a Best Actor nomination for DiCaprio.
Greene worked at Stratton Oakmont from 1993 to 1996 and is suing producers including Paramount Pictures, Red Granite Pictures, DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions and Sikelia Productions for libel over the character Nicky “Rugrat” Koskoff, played by P.J. Byrne.
Greene maintains the toupee-wearing Koskoff is clearly himself. Greene’s own nickname back in the day was “Wigwam” and he claims that producers changed that to “Rugrat” and have defaced his name.
The first judge the case went to rejected those original claims, but Greene was allowed to assert that the filmmakers libelled him.
On Thursday’s hearing, magistrate judge Stephen Locke overruled the argument that DiCaprio’s testimony only serves as harassment and coercion. Greene, who was on the board of directors, has never been implicated in any wrongdoing.
He has also said he did not consent to his image, likeness and characterisation being used in The Wolf of Wall Street.
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The film which got 5 Oscar nods and robbed DiCaprio of (another) Oscar in 2014 now finds itself in a spot of bother.
