Olivia Wilde was ‘too old’ for ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ role, but here’s why she says it doesn’t matter

Olivia Wilde was too old to be cast as Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend in "The Wolf of Wall Street," she says — but ageism wasn't the point she was trying to make when she told Howard Stern about that on Wednesday.

She was making a point about possibilities.

First, the background: Stern asked the "Vinyl" actress whether she'd ever been told she was too beautiful for a role, which is a perfectly legit question, if you've ever seen Otis Sudeikis' mom in person. When she's going casual, she's a hottie; dressed up, she pretty much glows.

"The funniest thing I heard recently was, I had heard for a part that I was 'too sophisticated,' and I was like, 'Oh, that sounds nice. I like that feedback. I didn't get that part, but I'm a very sophisticated person,'" the 32-year-old said with a chuckle. "Then I found out later that they actually said 'old.'"

Wilde, whose birthday was a week ago, would have been just turning 28 when "Wolf" pre-production started in March 2012. DiCaprio's not quite a decade her senior; Margot Robbie, who got the part, is about six years younger than the "House" alum.

But there were no hard feelings — "I watched it and I was like, 'Oh, she's perfect!'" — thanks to Wilde's self-professed ability to emotionally disconnect from the audition process. "The second I don't get a role, it's dead to me," she said.

But it turned out this one wasn't all the way dead: That movie was a Martin Scorsese project, as is HBO's newish series "Vinyl," so off the strength of her "Wolf" audition she got her current gig without having to read for it.

"It shows that if you don't get something, job interview, whatever you do for a living," Wilde said, "it might lead to something else." And she reiterated that point Wednesday on Twitter.

However, she also told Stern and his crew, "I want to make a translation sheet for Hollywood that's like, all the feedback your agents give you, and what it really means."

Ouch. Not sure we — or Hollywood — can handle that much truth ...

Anyway, here's another quick hit from the superficial-preconceptions arena: Ahead of World Down Syndrome Day, which is March 21, Wilde is the star of an thought-provoking PSA. Take a peek at it, below. We dare you not to tear up by the end.

Follow Christie D'Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ. Follow the Ministry of Gossip @LATcelebs.

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