I don’t think that [Wall Street fraud operators] were really thinking about their victims. I don’t think that ultimately people in the world of Wall Street that have been so incredibly corrupt have gotten their due and proper [punishment]. So any time we tried to take a traditional approach, we’d just say, “No, no, no, let’s push it even further, because it’s an accurate reflection of what their world is like.” It’s been called a comedy, but we didn’t set out to be like that. What is hilarious at times is the absurdity of the world that they created for themselves, where they just didn’t have any respect for anyone except themselves.

Q. You got hold of Jordan Belfort’s memoir, detailing his financial fraud, when it was still in galley form, right?

A. Yeah, this was seven years ago. We ended up getting the rights to it. Jordan knew about my relationship, obviously, with Marty, and I think that that was a big incentive. Terry Winter wrote the screenplay right away. It was on the fast track [at the studio] to getting done and then — how do I put this? — [there was] some sort of resistance on the material and the disturbing nature of who these people were.

[The project fell through at that time, so Mr. Scorsese turned to “Hugo.”] There were two other directors all set, and I just couldn’t. It was the only time really that I was like: “No one can do this except him. Nobody can capture the essence of these people and take the time with the actors, get the sense of humor, bring that sort of authenticity to this cutthroat environment.” So I waited for him for seven years, and I finally said, “Now I have people and outside financing, and they’re going to let us do whatever the hell we want.”

And once he heard that — I said: “Look, we know what the condition of the studio system is like now, and they don’t make movies like this. This is never going to happen in the near future, unless there’s another dramatic shift in the way the studios finance movies. We have to do this now, and I’m guaranteeing you’re going to have artistic freedom.” He’s like, “O.K., kid, let me think about it,” and thankfully he said yes.