Leonardo DiCaprio Was Once Told His Name Was “Too Ethnic”

Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio says he was once told by an agent to change his name to Lenny Williams.

Leonardo DiCaprio attends the premiere of The Revenant in Hollywood, California December 16, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed he was once told by an agent to change his name to Lenny Williams as his was “too ethnic”.

The Revenant star, now a household name, said he was just 11-years-old when the agent suggested to change the name, reported Femalefirst.

<p> Yeah, when I was 11-year-old, when I first wanted to be an actor professionally. We went to an agent and they wanted to change my name to Lenny Williams. They felt my name was too ethnic and I wouldn’t get as many jobs. So that thwarted me from being an actor for a number of years. I tried again two years later when I was 13 and got an agent to accept me with my name. </p>

<p><b>Leonardo DiCaprio to <i>Femalefirst</i></b></p>

The 41-year-old actor also insisted he never got into acting for fame’s sake and has just wanted to produce good films.

<p> A lot of people may look at what I’ve done career-wise and say that there was a period in which I tried to possibly become a movie star, per se, (and) tried to go for much bigger pictures. </p>