Leonardo DiCaprio Defends Wolf Of Wall Street Antics

Leonardo DiCapriohas defended the scenes of debauchery in his latest movie, The Wolf Of Wall Street.

The Martin Scorsese film has been acclaimed by the critics, but has been criticised in some quarters for its scenes of excess - including Leo's character snorting cocaine from a prostitute's bare bum.

But Leo has insisted to Variety that the intention was not to glamourise such activities.

"This film may be misunderstood by some," he said.

"I hope people understand we're not condoning this behaviour, that we're indicting it.

"The book was a cautionary tale and if you sit through the end of the film, you'll realize what we're saying about these people and this world, because it's an intoxicating one."

And he praised Jordan Belfort for his honesty in penning the book on which the movie is based, telling the story of his own fall from grace as a financial hot shot.

Leo said: "It's rare when someone is unafraid to divulge how dark they went.

"With all these people on Wall Street who've screwed over so many people since 2008, I became obsessed with playing a character who made me understand the mentality and nature of the seduction of Wall Street and greed.

"I appreciated his honesty."