It's One of Margot Robbie's Most Iconic Scenes, but Originally Another Actress Was Set to Film It

We owe the most famous scene in "The Big Short" to Margot Robbie, but did you know that it was originally another actress who was supposed to play this iconic moment?

When mentioning the film The Big Short - The Big Heist (2015), one scene immediately comes to mind: Margot Robbie in a bubble bath, a glass of champagne in hand, clearly explaining mortgage-backed securities, subprime loans, and tranches.

Because The Big Short aimed to explain to the general public how Wall Street and banks operate (and the corruption that ensues) with a dream cast: Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Brad Pitt. And what could be more appealing to the public than an actress who had just made a mark thanks to Martin Scorsese in The Wolf of Wall Street to capture the audience's attention (especially targeting the male demographic, two years before #MeToo) and explain things simply.

Except that the scene was supposed to be completely different, embodied by a completely different actress!

And She Also Had a Superhero Franchise

As revealed by the site Go Into The Story, the script mentioned another actress for this role: Scarlett Johansson. In the original script, she wears "a white t-shirt and cut-off jeans" and "lets a waterfall flow over her while explaining how mortgage-backed securities work".

Of course, the aim was to achieve a "wet t-shirt" effect on screen that would highlight the physique of the Avengers star. Obviously, this is not at all what viewers will see, as the scene was entirely revised: change of actress, change of context, and change of explanations.

Backgrid USA / Bestimage

Margot Robbie filmed her scene very quickly and under excellent conditions, as she shared during a roundtable organized by the Hollywood Reporter in 2018:

"The Easiest Work Day of My Life"

"I was in a bath drinking champagne, it was the easiest work day I've ever had. Half a day shooting in a Malibu mansion while drinking real 20-year-old Dom Perignon that Adam McKay was pouring, I thought to myself: 'I'm going to wake up.'"

The sequence became iconic, and the film repeated this technique with chef Anthony Bourdain explaining collateralized debt obligations while cooking, and actress Selena Gomez explaining synthetic collateralized debt obligations during a game of blackjack.

The Big Short was a hit upon its release, grossing $133 million worldwide on a budget of only $28 million. The film also won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, a slight disappointment compared to its 5 nominations, but remains a significant overall success for its studio, Paramount. This success also allowed director Adam McKay, who was primarily known for his comedies with Will Ferrell, to show that he could also be taken seriously in Hollywood.