’Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed that early Hollywood agents once urged him to drop his famous name. They called it “too ethnic” and suggested he become ‘Lenny Williams’ instead.
DICAPRIO’S EARLY HOLLYWOOD DAYS
The 50-year-old star opened up during an interview on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast. He recalled the shock he felt as a young actor when his agent tried to convince him, according to Fox News.
“I finally got an agent, they said, ‘Your name is too ethnic,’” DiCaprio said. “They’re never going to hire you. Your new name is Lenny Williams.”
DICAPRIO’S STAGE NAME
DiCaprio admitted he found the suggestion baffling. “I remember saying, ‘What is Lenny?’ I was twelve, maybe thirteen. My dad heard it and said, ‘Over my dead body.’”
His father refused to let him abandon his heritage. That choice proved wise. DiCaprio went on to win acclaim in his teens with What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, earning an Oscar nomination at just 19.
By the time Titanic hit South African cinemas in 1997, he had already become a global star.
BENICIO SHARES HIS OWN STORY
Fellow actor Benicio del Toro, who now stars alongside DiCaprio in Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, recalled a similar experience. “I was told the same thing,” del Toro said. “‘You’re Benny Del.’”
Leonardo DiCaprio has also admitted to regrets. He once turned down a role in Anderson’s Boogie Nights, released the same year as Titanic.
“It was a masterpiece,” he said, adding that he considered passing it up one of his biggest career mistakes, according to KTLA.
DICAPRIO’S LATEST PROJECT
The actor, who recently earned around R1.9 billion for his latest projects, told People that he now plans to slow down.
“I’m becoming more selective,” he said. “Awards and box office can come and go. But great films last.”
South African fans will see Leonardo DiCaprio next in One Battle After Another, which opens this weekend worldwide.