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Leonardo DiCaprio Says Early Agent Pushed 'Lenny Williams' as Stage Name

He told the New Heights podcast in a story that underscores Hollywood’s longstanding pressure on performers to anglicize their names.

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Leonardo Dicaprio will soon be seen in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
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Overview

  • DiCaprio recalled being 12 or 13 when an agent deemed his surname "too ethnic" and proposed "Lenny Williams."
  • He said "Williams" was based on his middle name, Wilhelm, with a headshot printed under the alias.
  • DiCaprio added that his father, George, ripped up the photo and declared, "Over my dead body."
  • Benicio del Toro, appearing with him, said he got similar advice and was told he could be "Benny Del."
  • The anecdote surfaced during promotion for Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which opens Sept. 26, as DiCaprio also reflected on early rejections and street breakdancing to earn money.