Leonardo DiCaprio Was Told His Name Was “Too Ethnic” to Be a Movie Star

Leonardo DiCaprio Was Told His Name Was “Too Ethnic” to Be a Movie Star

Leonardo DiCaprio opened up about some terrible advice he once received from a talent agent.

The actor appeared on the New Heights podcast along with his One Battle After Another co-star Benicio del Toro and discussed the new film and their experiences working with iconic directors.

When asked about shocking moments in their career, DiCaprio said he had a “fun one” from when he was a very young actor. DiCaprio’s first agent secured him a headshot photo and then gave him a surprising piece of news.

“I finally got an agent and they said: ‘Your name is too ethnic,” I go, What do you mean?’ They go, ‘No, too ethnic. They’re never going to hire you. Your new name is Lenny Williams. ‘What’s Lenny Williams?’ ‘We took your middle name and made it your last name and now [your first] name is Lenny.’ And my dad saw [the headshot photo the agent took], he ripped it up, and said, ‘Over my dead body.’”

At this point, del Toro gestured to himself and said “Benny Del,” suggesting that he, too, received similar advice early in his career.

When the duo is asked what was “on their Mount Rushmore of movies,” DiCaprio listed East of Eden, Taxi Driver and 2001: A Space Odyssey, while del Toro cited Papillon and On the Waterfront.

Asked about pieces of advice they were given, DiCaprio recalled being on the set of This Boy’s Life when he was 16, working across from Robert De Niro when director Michael Caton-Jones advised: “‘Watch [De Niro]. Pain is temporary, film is forever.’ That’s the note that hit me the hardest that stayed with me forever.”

The duo was also asked if they could act in one role that the other starred in, which would it be? DiCaprio said Sicaro, “that shit was badass.” While del Toro said, The Wolf of Wall Street.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is receiving terrific reviews and is set to open in theaters on Friday.