A toupee-wearing former colleague of “Wolf of Wall Street” Jordan Belfort claims that the blockbuster flick portrays him as a prostitute-loving degenerate — but what really galls him are the swipes at his rug, according to a $25 million federal lawsuit.
Presented as Nicky “Rugrat” Koskoff in the Martin Scorsese-directed flick, lawyer Andrew Greene’s character is repeatedly mocked for his dubious mane, the lawsuit says.
“In multiple scenes in the movie, Rugrat’s use of a toupee is accentuated and mocked in an egregiously offensive manner,” states Greene’s suit, filed in federal court on Long Island.
“The motion picture introduces Rugrat by referencing his ‘piece of s–t hairpiece.’ ”
Greene earned the nickname “Wigwam” in real life because of his affinity for hairpieces, court papers state.
Greene is suing Paramount Pictures and others associated with the film, arguing that he also was unfairly depicted as morally bankrupt by actor P.J. Byrne.
“The motion picture contains various scenes wherein Mr. Greene’s character is portrayed as a criminal, drug user, degenerate and/or devoid of any morality or ethics,” the suit states.
“The motion picture’s scenes concerning Mr. Greene were false, defamatory, and fundamentally injurious to Mr. Greene’s professional reputation, both as an attorney and as an investment banker/venture capitalist, as well as his personal reputation.”
Greene’s lawyer, Aaron Goldsmith, said Greene was actually one of the few responsible workers at the now-infamous stock firm for which he and Belfort worked.
“Andrew Greene worked diligently to create an environment of regulatory compliance and oversight at Stratton Oakmont,” said Goldsmith, who is handling Greene’s case with lawyer Stephanie Ovadia.
“He was the driving force behind the implementation of several such procedures.”
But Koskoff, as played by Byrne, is presented as not much more than a cash- and sex-obsessed freak who shaves a woman’s head at one point after she is paid $10,000 by the Belfort character.
“He is a professional who must now be confronted daily with a fictional and degrading reputation as well as personal pain and humiliation incurred by him and his family due to the characterization in the movie,” Goldsmith said.
In addition to the cash awards, Greene also wants the film yanked from theaters and his character scrubbed.
Paramount reps and Belfort did not return calls for comment.
Additional reporting by Frank Rosario