Overview

• Leonardo DiCaprio said on the New Heights podcast that an early agent called his name "too ethnic" and proposed the stage name "Lenny Williams."
• DiCaprio recounted that his father, George DiCaprio, rejected the idea and tore up a headshot bearing the proposed name, saying, "Over my dead body."
• Benicio Del Toro said he received a similar early-career suggestion to go by "Benny Del."
• Opinion coverage in the Los Angeles Times used the anecdotes to argue that authenticity, not rebranding, is a better path to lasting success in show business.
• News reports note the remarks surfaced during publicity for One Battle After Another, which released September 26 and features DiCaprio, Del Toro and Sean Penn under director Paul Thomas Anderson.