DYK Leonardo DiCaprio Was Once Advised By Agent To Use Stage Name ‘Lenny Williams’? Here's Why

Leonardo

DiCaprio may be one of the most recognisable names in Hollywood today, but the journey to keeping that name wasn’t always straightforward. The actor recently revealed that, early in his career, he was advised to change his name to something more “acceptable” for the industry.

Why was DiCaprio asked to change his name for films?

Speaking on the New Heights podcast, the Oscar winner shared that his first agent suggested he go by a stage name rather than his real one. “I finally got an agent. They said, ‘Your name is too ethnic,’” DiCaprio recalled. “I go, ‘What do you mean? It’s Leonardo DiCaprio?’ They go, ‘No, too ethnic. They’re never going to hire you. Your new name is Lenny Williams.’”DiCaprio, who was just a teenager at the time, was baffled by the suggestion. “I said, ‘What is Lenny?’ I was 12,13. I said, ‘What is Lenny Williams?’ ‘We took your middle name and we made it — now you’re Lenny,’” he explained.Fortunately, his father had a strong reaction to this rebranding attempt. DiCaprio recalled how his dad rejected the idea immediately after seeing a headshot with the stage name printed on it. “He ripped it up, and he said, ‘Over my dead body.’”Interestingly, DiCaprio’s One Battle After Another co-star Benicio Del Toro went through something similar at the start of his career. “I was told the same thing. ‘You’re Benny Del,’” Del Toro revealed during their conversation.In the end, both actors kept their real names, which went on to become widely celebrated. For DiCaprio, recognition came quickly with powerful performances in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and, of course, Titanic (1997), which cemented his heartthrob status. DiCaprio is back on screen in One Battle After Another, where he plays Bob Ferguson, a former radical who reunites with his old group to take on past enemy Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) while trying to rescue his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). The film also stars Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Alana Haim, and others.