Leonardo DiCaprio Was Pressured to Change His ‘Ethnic’ Name at the Start of His Career

Leonardo DiCaprio knew from a young age that he wanted to be an actor and would drag his parents to audition after audition. When he finally got an agent, however, DiCaprio was pressured to change his name.

“I first got my – you remember, your first photos that you got,” the Shutter Island star, 50, recalled during a Wednesday, September 24, appearance on the New Heights podcast. “I finally got an agent and they said, ‘Your name is too ethnic.’”

He explained that as a 12-year-old kid he questioned the agent, who said, “No, no. Too ethnic. They’re never going to hire you.”

DiCaprio’s proposed new name was Lenny Williams.

As hosts Travis and Jason Kelce, along with DiCaprio’s costar Benicio Del Toro, rolled over laughing, the Academy Award winner revealed how the name came about. The agent took his middle name, Wilhelm, and made it his last name along with a shortened, nickname version of his first name.

“My dad saw this photo, ripped it up and said, ‘Over my dead body,’” DiCaprio added.

Del Toro – who stars alongside DiCaprio in the upcoming film One Battle After Another – was also encouraged to change his name early in his career. The Puerto Rican actor, 58, claimed his proposed moniker was Benny Dell, which he evidently did not agree to either.