What is Leonardo DiCaprio’s ethnicity? Actor recalls his reaction when his agent told him to change his name to "Lenny Williams"

On Wednesday, September 24, Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro appeared on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast. The actors made their podcast debut in order to promote their upcoming movie, One Battle After Another. 

It's time to add "podcaster" right next to "Oscar Winner" on these guys' resumes

NEW EPISODE TOMORROW FT. LEONARDO DICAPRIO AND BENICIO DEL TORO pic.twitter.com/cUg1wp1Dqw

— New Heights (@newheightshow) September 24, 2025

Among other things discussed on the podcast, the Titanic actor spoke about an experience he had in the initial days of his career, revealing how his first agent claimed his name was "too ethnic". 

Leonardo recalled:

"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'."

DiCaprio, who was 12 or 13 at the time, was confused about the new name, then showed his headshots with the new name printed on it. His father ripped the headshots up into pieces, saying: "Over my dead body."

Leonardo DiCaprio comes from a mix of German, Italian, and Russian ethnicities. His father, George DiCaprio, is of Italian and German descent, while his mother, Irmeline Indenbirken, is of German and Russian descent.

Benicio also chimed into the conversation, claiming he was also pushed for a name change in the beginning of his career, saying:

"I was told the same thing. 'You’re Benny Del'."

Benecio and Leonardo-starring One Battle After Another is scheduled to release on the box office this Friday, on September 25. DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson - a member of a former revolutionary group as the French 75. The group reunites after 16 years to rescue Ferguson's daughter from their old nemesis.

Leonardo DiCaprio claims his new movie is about "extremism"

#OneBattleAfterAnother is a fast paced wild ride, that doesn’t feel as long as it is. Sean Penn gives one of my favorite performances in years. It’s beautifully shot on glorious VISTAVISION. It’s heavy handed and demands multiple viewings. But I loved it at the end of the day. pic.twitter.com/Tx2GKgPKu4

— Jonathan Widdup (@widdup_jonathan) September 25, 2025

In another interview with Reuters (published on September 23), when Leonardo DiCaprio was asked to describe what his new movie was about briefly, the actor claimed it to be a complex task, saying:

"I think it's probably because it's a complex thing to articulate, but at the heart of it, I think the movie's a lot to do with humanity. It's a lot to do with polarization in the world that we live in, extremism on both ends."

Further explaining the core of the film, the Wolf of Wall Street actor said:

"It's not a film where people are imposing any political beliefs on anyone else. It's satire on both ends. It's a great film to have coming out in today's world. I think it's important."

Elsewhere in his interview, DiCaprio also spoke about Paul Thomas Anderson - the writer and director behind the film, praising him for having an "incredible flexibility" in terms of direction and would often change entire sequences upon hearing suggestions from the actors. 

The Inception actor futher added:

"Not to say that he takes all your ideas, because he certainly doesn't. He's got a great B.S. detector. But when you say that one good idea, I mean, the entire course of the movie may change."

Anderson is recognized for his distinctive work in Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, and Licorice Pizza.