DiCaprio deposition ordered in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ lawsuit

Leonardo DiCaprio, best actor nominee for his role in “The Wolf of Wall Street”, arrives at the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, U.S. on March 2, 2014.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) – Leonardo DiCaprio can be questioned regarding what he knows about the production of “The Wolf of Wall Street” for a defamation lawsuit, a judge says.

The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese, saw DiCaprio play real-life swindling stockbroker Belfort and was based on his memoirs. The character, Nicky “Rugrat” Koskof, is close friends in the movie with Jordan Belfort, a notorious stock swindler who cost investors tens of millions of dollars in the 1990s.

Greene, who was a Stratton Oakmont executive, claims that the 2013 film changed his nickname from “Wigwam” to “Rugrat” and spread untruths about him.

Judge Steven Locke granted a motion to compel DiCaprio’s deposition.

Paramount says the character is a fictional composite.

Greene’s lawsuit says the movie portrayed him as “a criminal and drug user with misogynistic tendencies”.

The defendants had argued Scorsese and screenwriter Terence Winter had already testified, and that the claimants had not stated why they needed DiCaprio to testify as he did not write the screenplay or play the character.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the judge granted Greene’s motion for a deposition in NY on Thursday.

They said DiCaprio, who co-produced the movie, was a “driving force” behind getting the flick made and is “knowledgeable” of particular issues in the case, according to a court filing.

The 41-year-old Oscar victor starred in the 2013 Martin Scorsese film as Jordan Belfort, though another former Stratton Oakmont executive is suing producers over his own depiction in the movie, reported Independent online.