Leonardo DiCaprio Says His First Agent Thought His Italian Name Was ‘Too Ethnic’ And Suggested He Change It To ‘Lenny Williams’

Warner Bros.

Leonardo DiCaprio made a rare appearance on a podcast this week as he and One Battle After Another co-star Benicio del Toro were guests on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast to promote their new film. One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, hits theaters on Friday, September 26.

During the interview, Leonardo DiCaprio shared an anecdote from early in his career about an agent who told him that his name, an Italian name, was too ethnic. The agent’s solution to that problem? Change his name to “Lenny Williams,” which sounds more like the name of a country singer than it does a movie star.

Leonardo DiCaprio says his first agent thought his name was “too ethnic” and told him to change it to Lenny Williams

“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 you. Your new name is Lenny Williams.’”

The similarly Oscar-winning del Toro had a similar story, revealing someone in the industry suggested he use the name “Benny Del.”

“And the Oscar goes to … Lenny Williams”

That just doesn’t hit the same 😂 @netflix pic.twitter.com/yi4T6uqFyu

— New Heights (@newheightshow) September 24, 2025

DiCaprio and del Toro were on New Heights to promote the Paul Thomas Anderson-directed film One Battle After Another, which is being widely hailed as a contender for a bevy of Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for DiCaprio.

In addition to DiCaprio and del Toro, One Battle After Another also stars two-time Oscar-winner Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Shayna McHayle, Paul Grimstad, Tony Goldwy, Starletta DuPois, D.W. Moffett, and more.

You can check out the official trailer for One Battle After Another below.