Leonardo DiCaprio says agent told him to change name to Lenny Williams because his was ‘too ethnic’
Leonardo DiCaprio reveals agent once told him to change his name early in his career
- Leonardo DiCaprio revealed on the New Heights podcast that an agent suggested he change his name to 'Lenny Williams' early in his career, deeming 'Leonardo DiCaprio' too 'ethnic'.
- The new name was supposed to be both a nickname for Leonardo and a version of DiCaprio’s middle name, which is Wilhelm.
- DiCaprio's father strongly opposed the proposed name change, tearing up a headshot that featured the new name.
- The actor, appearing alongside Benicio del Toro, was promoting their new film, One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
- The film, loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, follows a former resistance member seeking help to find his missing daughter.