The Wolf Of Wall Street with Writer Terence Winter

Episode 136 : Media Mayhem

Episode Synopsis

‘The Wolf Of Wall Street,’ Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and the true story behind the film is discussed with film writer Terence Winter in this uncensored Media Mayhem interview. Winter’s experience working on the Sopranos, plus his creation of Boardwalk Empire is also touched on in this fascinating look at The Wolf Of Wall Street, and he explains why the film had to be the tour-de-force of sex, greed, and drugs that has become the most anticipated film of the year.

Guest Bio

Terence Winter is an Emmy winning writer and producer for TV and film. A graduate of St. John’s University School of Law he practiced law in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a screenwriting career. He has written for and produced The Sopranos, created Boardwalk Empire, and in addition to writing several movies he has written the new Martin Scorsese release, The Wolf of Wall Street.

Episode Breakdown

01:40 - Brief synopsis of “The Wolf of Wall Street”

02:10 - What its like collaborating with Martin Scorsese

04:20 - What was your reaction to the book and Jordan Belfort?

05:55 - What does this film say about modern American society.

06:45 - Are you concerned about how people will or won’t relate to the protagonist?

08:55 - Why was it so critical that this film depict so much nudity, sex, drugs and illicit behavior?

10:55 - The humor is similar to ‘Goodfellas.’ Was that intentional?

12:55 - Breaking the fourth wall and why?

14:52 - Was ‘Wallstreet’ and the Gordon Gekko character an inspiration?

17:18 - Jonah Hill’s character

18:30 - How much of the physical comedy was scripted vs improvised?

20:50 - The length of the film and some of the controversy around it.

25:14 - The real Jordan Belfort

27:18 - Rob Reiner’s character

29:20 - How women are depicted in “The Wolf of Wall Street”

31:00 - How the FBI Investigation plays into the story

33:30 - The arc of the anti-hero and how audiences react

34:35 - Jonah Hills performance and how Terence felt about him being casted

37:40 - Matthew McConaughey’s character

39:40 - The depiction of Steve Madden

42:02 - How important is it to be historically accurate with a story like this?

43:30 - Was it difficult to adapt someone else’s story to film?

44:45 - Closing and credits

Additional Links

http://www.hbo.com/boardwalk-empire/cast-and-crew/terence-winter

http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=5371

Media Mayhem Full Episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXxRegjCJI&list=PLC937B599FD2B8241

Media Mayhem Short Clips Playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i457TI3wMM&list=PLjk3H0GXhhGcz4un-zws5sMlCLk3NNjDP

https://www.facebook.com/MediaMayhem?directed_target_id=0

https://www.facebook.com/thelip.tv

http://www.youtube.com/theliptv

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Hosted By

Allison Hope Weiner

Allison Hope Weiner was a Century City entertainment litigator before she began writing about Hollywood as a journalist. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Southern California Law Center, she joined the legendary firm of Wyman, Bautzer—where she represented entertainers and corporate media clients.