"Jordan stands as a shining example of the transformative qualities of ambition and hard work," says the actor.
One of Belfort's victims accused him and director Martin Scorsese of "glorifying greed and psychopathic behaviour", and at a screening a screenwriter shouted at them: "Shame on you. Disgusting".
In recent years the Academy has introduced tighter restrictions on campaigning. The marketing machines behind Oscar hopefuls still pour millions of dollars into billboard and newspaper advertisements, but there are no lavish parties for Academy members.
This year's favourite for best picture, 12 Years a Slave, fended off an early controversy when the historical accuracy of the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup, on which it is based, was questioned. Authoritative experts rejected the allegations.
Another contender, Captain Phillips, in which Tom Hanks plays the skipper of a ship attacked by pirates off the Somali coast, faced claims that it exaggerated his heroism. A lawsuit filed five years ago, in which some of the crew claimed Phillips put their lives in danger, began receiving a lot of attention.
Gravity, in which Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are marooned in space, has been accused of scientific inaccuracy.
According to awards experts, all Oscar contenders can now expect smears, and the key is how they respond.
Perhaps the best example was from the makers of Philomena, starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. After suggestions it was anti-Catholic, Philomena Lee, on whose life the film is based, met Pope Francis at an audience in St Peter's Square.
"Supposedly the Pope saw the movie which was 'anti-Catholic' and received the film-makers," an Oscars campaign veteran said. "It doesn't get any better than that."