Leonardo DiCaprio was stunned to learn that little kids are big fans of his R-rated, drug-filled, and profanity-laden dark comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. The Martin Scorsese movie starred DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, a real-life stockbroker whose illegal financial dealings and party-boy lifestyle ultimately led to his downfall. It also starred Margot Robbie in breakout role, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, and Jon Bernthal.
Released in 2013, The Wolf of Wall Street was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for DiCaprio. The movie made $407 million at the worldwide box office. It has also lived on in a number of memes and viral clips. Even so, DiCaprio revealed he’s surprised how many young kids proclaim their love for The Wolf of Wall Street.
In an interview with Variety promoting One Battle After Another, DiCaprio was asked which of his movies he finds connects with younger audiences, those of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. He said:
“Some little kids come up to me and go, ‘I loved Wolf of Wall Street.’ Like, you saw that? How old are you?”
While DiCaprio was surprised to find how many young kids have seen the movie that features him experiencing a bad quaalude trip, has the third-highest use of the F-word in any movie ever (per Wikipedia), and plenty more debauchery, the Oscar-winning actor also admitted, “I saw a lot of R-rated movies when I was young.”
How Are Kids Watching The Wolf Of Wall Street?
Though The Wolf of Wall Street has an R-rating, which means that anyone under the age of 17 is supposed to only watch the movie with a parent or guardians, that can be hard policy to enforce, especially as The Wolf of Wall Street is on streaming.
Just this past summer, The Wolf of Wall Street became a hit on the free streaming service Pluto TV. Currently, The Wolf of Wall Street is streaming on MGM+ and Paramount+. While many streamers do offer parental controls to help dictate what kids can watch, it’s not surprising that some kids can find ways around them.
Our Take On Kids Loving The Wolf Of Wall Street
As DiCaprio himself said, the idea of watching movies you’re supposed to be too young for is an age-old practice. It just happens. If there’s a silver lining to it, at least with The Wolf of Wall Street, they’re watching a movie by one of the great filmmakers of all time. I love to hear when people, including young kids, discover and love movies from before their time.
That being said, I was also surprised to hear DiCaprio say how many young kids have watched The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s certainly not something I would actively be showing to any kids below high school age. The hope is that any young viewers are mature enough to recognize that Jordan Belfort is not someone to emulate.
