• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Leonardo DiCaprio almost forced to quit acting because name stopped him getting jobs

Home> Entertainment

Published 17:04 17 Nov 2022 GMT

Leonardo DiCaprio almost forced to quit acting because name stopped him getting jobs

The Oscar-winning star is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Leonardo DiCaprio is one the the most celebrated actors of his generation, of all time, even.

But his career almost turned out very differently, and it's all down to his name.

I mean, you're probably thinking, 'What's wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio?', right? It's impossible to imagine him being called anything else.

Advert

However, back in the day, when he was just a fledgling actor, the 48-year-old was warned that his name could prove to be a hinderance to his career.

And he was advised to change it.

Leonardo DiCaprio was almost called something very different.
Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

Speaking to Shortlist about his early days, Leo said: "Yeah, when I was 11 years 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.

Advert

"I tried again two years later when I was 13 and got an agent to accept me with my name."

And I think we can all agree that the Oscar winner made the right decision.

Discussing where his name actually came from, Leo explained to NPR back in 2014 that it was decided on his parents' honeymoon.

He said: "My father tells me that they were on their honeymoon at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, I believe. They were looking at a da Vinci painting, and allegedly I started kicking furiously while my mother was pregnant.

"And my father took that as a sign, and I suppose DiCaprio wasn't that far from da Vinci. And so, my dad, being the artist that he is, said, 'That's our boy's name'."

Advert

But the Catch Me If You Can star isn't the only actor to have considered changing their name to improve their chances of getting a starring role.

Keanu Reeves also considered changing his name.
Sydney Alford/Alamy

When he was starting out in the business, Keanu Reeves also considered getting himself a stage name, as a lot of actors do.

And it was almost very, very bad.

Keanu, now 58, said: "So, I’m 20 years old, I’m in my first car, I wanted to be in movies, I went to Hollywood. And I get there and they’re like, ‘We wanna change your name'.

Advert

"I was like, 'Why', and they were like, 'Keanu, maybe it's a little too exotic', we don't wanna... ya know... '."

Revealing one of the names he thought about at the time, the actor said: "'Chuck Spadina'. Just ridiculous names. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't do it."

I think we're all glad neither of them did.

Featured Image Credit: MediaPunch Inc/Maximum Film/Alamy

Topics: Leonardo DiCaprio, Keanu Reeves, US News, TV and Film

Dominic Smithers
Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

X

@SmithersDom

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

6 hours ago
  • 6 hours ago

    Woman who partied with Noel in the 90s reveals what the Oasis brother is really like

    She says things changed around 1997

    Entertainment
  • 6 hours ago

    Lad with Oasis ticket reveals hilarious way he's going to wind up 'proper fans' at the gig

    This will really drive long-time fans wild

    Entertainment
  • 6 hours ago

    Black Sabbath fans shocked as Game of Thrones legend Jason Momoa joins moshing crowd at final gig

    He was specially recruited to be the compère at Villa Park, Birmingham, this weekend

    Entertainment
  • 6 hours ago

    Fans divided over 'terrible' Oasis show as first gig revellers complain 'they just play song after song'

    Probably tweets you wouldn't want to tag Liam in...

    Entertainment
  • Leonardo DiCaprio had nearly decade-long acting streak ruined by 2021 Netflix movie
  • Leonardo DiCaprio used a prop in one of his movies to give the huge plot twist away to viewers
  • Leonardo DiCaprio almost wasn't cast in Titanic
  • Gene Hackman's health condition forced him to retire from acting in 2004 before he was rarely seen again