Why Leonardo DiCaprio was told to change his name at the start of his career

Leonardo DiCaprio reflected on the early days of his career on the latest episode of “New Heights.”

The movie star, 50, shared on Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce’s podcast Wednesday that he once had an agent tell him he’d have to change his real name to be successful.

He said the agent told him his moniker was “too ethnic,” adding, “They’re never going to hire you.”

Leonardo’s last name is Italian, as his father, George DiCaprio, is a mix of Italian and German descent.

Leonardo DiCaprio revealed on “New Heights” why an agent asked him to change his name.

The movie star said he was told his last name, DiCaprio, was “too ethnic.” Getty Images

The “Titanic” star said the agent told him his “new name” would be “Lenny Williams,” explaining that they had taken Leonardo’s middle name, Wilhelm, and slightly revised it to replace his surname.

According to the acclaimed actor, his dad saw the headshot with his fake name, “ripped it up” and told his son, “Over my dead body.”

Benicio Del Toro — who was beside Leonardo for the interview, as they were promoting their new film, “One Battle After Another” — shared that he, too, was told the same when he first started.

“Benny Del,” the “Usual Suspects” star, 58, said, revealing the faux moniker he was given.

Leonardo joked that his father, George DiCaprio, told him in response to the name-change request, “Over my dead body.”

Leonardo’s co-star Benicio Del Toro shared that he was once in a similar predicament.

Jason, 37, then chimed in, “This podcast would not be the same with Lenny Williams and Benny Del.”

During the interview, Leonardo also shared another anecdote of when he first started acting.

The Oscar winner recalled that an agent once had him line up “like cattle” and flat-out told him “no.”

He speculated on what may have played a factor in the rejection, “I was a breakdancer. I breakdanced for, like, money on the street sometimes, so I had, like, the step haircut.”

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Leonardo also recalled during the interview getting told “no” many times in the early days of his career. Getty Images

Jason Kelce pointed out how those agents are probably kicking themselves for turning down the Oscar winner. WireImage

“I remember saying to my dad, ‘This is horrible,’ and I went back and they did it again,” Leonardo added.

Jason reassured him that the agents who passed on him are likely saying “holy s–t” to themselves now.

DiCaprio broke into the acting industry at the age of 14 when he appeared in several commercials for Matchbox cars.

However, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that he started to act regularly in the show “Growing Pains” before rising to fame with “This Boy’s Life.”