Margot Robbie’s role as Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf of Wall Street was a breakthrough. Who could forget her tough-as-nails accent and holding her own as an award-winning trophy wife? But Naomi Lapaglia’s character was based on Nadine Caridi, ex-wife of disgraced “Wolf” Jordan Belfort (played on-screen by Leonardo DiCaprio.)
Jordan Belfort is a former stockbroker and convicted felon who detailed his million-dollar scams in his 2007 memoir The Wolf of Wall Street. The book was successfully turned into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It became an unlikely commercial success, earning $392 million at the box office while garnering five Academy Award nominations. In 1989, Belfort established the financial firm Stratton Oakmont. He used this business to participate in a pump-and-dump scheme with his investors’ money by buying penny stocks which he would later sell at an artificially inflated price forcing them into losing all their savings and even going bankrupt themselves.
Belfort was indicted for securities fraud and money laundering in 1999. Stratton Oakmont fleeced investors of approximately $200 million according to the FBI. His restitution agreement requires him to repay victims $110 million but his new career as a motivational speaker has only covered one-tenth so far.
It is no surprise that Bernie’s crimes resulted in an extravagant and hedonistic lifestyle. His reign as a Wall Street tycoon was fueled by indulging not just drugs, but women too. He also had two marriages which produced two children.
Who Is Nadine Caridi?
Nadine Caridi is Jordan Belfort’s second wife. She’s currently known as Nadine Macaluso. They met at the tail-end of the 1980s while he was still married to his first wife. Caridi was introduced to Belfort by her own ex-boyfriend, Alan Wilzig (entrepreneur and race car driver).
Wilzig wrote on Facebook “Twenty-odd years ago while ‘The Wolf’ was still growing his fangs — I had my first post-college relationship. At the end of year 2, as friendly-exes, I took Nadine to Jordan Belfort’s July 4th Westhampton Beach House party where the two of them met… He left his high school sweetheart wife to marry her, and the rest you can see in the movie.”
The couple was married from 1991 until 1998. They shared two children: son Carter and daughter Chandler.
Margot Robbie’s role in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” as Naomi Lapaglia was not meant to be an accurate portrayal for Caridi. However; the real-life and on-screen wives shared limited patience with Belfort’s antics – this is evident when you compare their reactions.
Robbie told IndieWire “I was creating a character that was in the same situation that she was in, that lived the life that she was in, but I was by no means trying to be her or portray her at that time.” She added “When I asked what would they fight about, [Caridi] was like, ‘The drugs. The fact that he was a drug addict… I didn’t care about the hookers or coming home late.’ … She said he would be doing crack in front of their newborn baby. Any mother would divorce their husband for that.”
The divorce settlement that Caridi received from Belfort is a mystery. However, when he spoke to Notable Life in 2015 and explained what happened during their marriage it gave some insight into how much money she must have made off him. “Sign a prenup,” said Belfort. “Don’t get yourself in a situation where if you get divorced you will screw yourself.”
After eight years of marriage, Caridi says she and her kids relocated to California with no financial support from Belfort. At the age of 39, She earned two degrees: a master’s in counseling and a Ph.D. in Somatic and Depth psychology at the Pacifica Graduate Institute.
She spent the next 22 years with John Macaluso, whom she remarried and has five kids from their blended family.
Before she was the Duchess of Bay Ridge, Caridi had a modeling career. Her claim to fame is that she appeared in Miller Lite beer commercials. When the campaign aired, Caridi was newly married. As a result, she seemed to put future work on hold while focusing primarily on being a homemaker and mother.
Caridi is now known as Dr. Nae and she’s a licensed marriage and family therapist and relationship expert. She has a YouTube channel that she runs called Dr. Nae’s Talking Bar, which showcases mental health issues in today’s world. It looks like Dr. Nae is in a better place now that she’s escaped the wolf’s den.
