DiCaprio got slapped by Margot Robbie in 'Wolf of Wall Street' audition

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Rising star Margot Robbie earned her role in Martin Scorsese's The Wall Of Wall Street by unexpectedly slapping Leonardo DiCaprio during her audition.

The 24-year-old actress recalls the time she had "30 seconds left" to make an impression during her audition, in a interview for the April issue of Harper's Bazaar U.K.

"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," she told the magazine. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, just take it.'"

The Australian actress admitted to being "scared" and "barely" being able to keep up with the Titanic star during a shouting match scene, when DiCaprio -- in character as Jordan Belfort -- asked her to kiss him.

"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, '[Expletive] you!' And that's not in the script at all. The room just went dead silent and I froze."

Robbie says she worried about getting arrested for assaulting DiCaprio and feared she would never work in Hollywood again. Little did she know, her ad-lib would earn her the part of Naomi Lapaglia in the Oscar-nominated film.

"All of a sudden Marty and Leo just burst out laughing," she said of the moment after the slap. "Marty says, 'That was great!' Leo's like, 'Hit me again!'" she recalled.

Robbie's next role is opposite to Will Smith in the upcoming crime drama Focus. The April issue of Harper's Bazaar will hit stands March 5.