Leonardo DiCaprio, a leading actor of his era, nearly embarked on his career under a different name.
The acclaimed actor appeared on the New Heights podcast hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, alongside Benicio del Toro, to discuss their upcoming film “One Battle After Another,” which premieres in theaters in the US and UK tomorrow.
During the podcast, the NFL players asked DiCaprio about any standout moments from his distinguished career.
“I remember auditioning when I was very young, I was like a child actor – my stepbrother was an actor,” DiCaprio, now 50, recalled.
“And there were these acting agents that would line you up like cattle and they just go – and I was a break dancer, I’d break dance for like money on the streets sometimes, I had like the step haircut – it was like ‘yes, yes, no’; and they look at me, ‘no’, and then a ‘yes, yes, yes’ – and they all got agents.”
He continued, “I remember telling my dad, this is horrible. I went back and they did it again, ‘yes, yes, no, no’. And I just remember my dad saying, you know, ‘someday you’re going to have your time, son. Just keep at it, keep at it’.”
The actor went on to share, “And then they gave me my, [turning to speak to del Toro] you remember your first photos that you had? And they said, ‘your name is too – I finally got an agent – they said your name is too ethnic’.”
“I go, ‘what do you mean, it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’. They go, ‘no too ethnic, they’re never going to hire. Your new name is Lenny Williams’. I said, ‘what is, what is Lenny?’. I was 12 or 13. I said, ‘what is Lenny Williams?’ ‘We took your middle name and we made it your – now you’re Lenny’.”
“And my dad saw his photo, ripped it up, and he said, ‘Over my dead body.'”
It turns out DiCaprio wasn’t alone in facing this challenge, as Benicio del Toro revealed he had a similar experience.
“I was told the same thing,” del Toro said. “‘Benny Dell, yeah – Mr Dell!”
A surprised Jason Kelce commented: “Oh my gosh. This podcast would not be the same with Lenny Williams and Benny Dell – I’ll tell you that right now.”