Leonardo DiCaprio is a name that’s known worldwide, and understandably so. The 50-year-old actor is one of the biggest names in Hollywood and has starred in some of the most beloved hits over the years, dating back to Titanic in 1997 up to the highly anticipated new release, One Battle After Another. However, DiCaprio was apparently on the verge of not becoming a household name, as he was advised to completely change his Hollywood name after securing his first agent early in his career.
DiCaprio and One Battle After Another co-star Benicio del Toro joined the latest episode of the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, where the Wolf of Wall Street star made the surprising admission.
Leonardo DiCaprio Was Told to Change His Acting Name to Lenny Williams
Looking back now, it’s hard to argue that this advice was anything other than poor, but DiCaprio admitted that when he was around 12 years old, he contemplated changing his acting name to…Lenny Williams.
As DiCaprio explained, his middle name is Wilhelm, which is where the name “Williams” originated. It was when he got an agent that the conversation about a name change began.
“I finally got an agent. They said, ‘Your name is too ethnic,’” DiCaprio explained. “I go, ‘What do mean? It’s Leonardo DiCaprio.’ They go, ‘No, too ethnic. They’re never gonna hire you. Your new name is Lenny Williams.’”
Thankfully, Leo’s dad, George DiCaprio, stepped in and made this decision an easy one for the now-Hollywood star.
“And my dad saw his photo, ripped it up, and he said, ‘Over my dead body,’” Leo explained.
In an incredible add-on to the story, del Toro revealed that he was also told to change his name initially to Benny Dell.
Warning: The video below contains some graphic language.
While the attempted change surely doesn’t feel great for the agent, who remained nameless, at least it wasn’t like the other list of agents who passed over the opportunity to represent DiCaprio, which he also detailed.
Leonardo DiCaprio Reveals Getting Turned Down by Agents Several Times
DiCaprio revealed another one of his early career memories, which certainly falls under the category of a “bad” one. Fortunately for the 50-year-old actor, the reason it’s a negative is that, apparently, several agents consistently passed DiCaprio over, as he explained on New Heights.
“I remember auditioning when I was very young. I was like a child actor. My stepbrother was an actor, and there were these acting agents that would line you up like cattle—I was a break dancer. I’d break dance for, like, money on the streets sometimes,” DiCaprio explained.
“…It was like ‘yes, yes, no,’ and they’d look at me, ‘no’ and they all got agents…I remember saying to my dad, ‘This is horrible.’ I went back, and they did it again. ‘Yes, yes, no.’ I just remember my dad saying, ‘You know, someday you’re gonna have your time, son. Just keep at it. Keep at it,’” he added..
Fortunately, it’s fair to say that it all worked out more than fine for DiCaprio (not Lenny Williams), on virtually all fronts.
Related: Leonardo DiCaprio Shares ‘Dream Come True’ Next Movie After ‘One Battle After Another’
