The not-safe-for-work hijinks portrayed in "The Wolf of Wall Street" seemed larger than life, what with drugs, dwarfs and strippers a frequent fixture on the silver-screen version of the Stratton Oakmont trading floor.
Those artistic liberties, however, bent the truth too far, says Andrew Greene, the alleged basis for a character in the film nicknamed "Rugrat" because of an ill-fitting hairpiece. Greene filed a $25 million federal lawsuit last week against Paramount Pictures and the film's makers for defamation, saying screenwriters unfairly portrayed him as a degenerate, drug-addled criminal.
"There's no issue about whether it was me or not," Greene said Wednesday on "Squawk on the Street," referring to the film character.
The movie tells the story of real-life, pump-and-dump con man Jordan Belfort, using his memoirs as source material. Greene, who once worked at Belfort's firm in real-life, also wants the film pulled from theaters.
(Read more: Strippers, dwarfs & coke: The real Wall Street)
Greene said the trading floor mischief never happened. And as a result of the Oscar-nominated film, Greene says he's having trouble finding work because people equate him with the less-than-savory character from the movie.
(Read more: An interview with the real 'Wolf of Wall Street')
"How am I supposed to provide for my family when I'm being portrayed as a criminal?" Greene said. "When I'm being portrayed as someone who is a money launderer? That I'm a degenerate? That I would do drugs during my work day? If you were someone out there, would you hire me?"
Paramount Pictures did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.
—By CNBC's Jeff Morganteen. Follow him on Twitter at @jmorganteen and get the latest stories from "Squawk on the Street." Reuters contributed to this report.