Leonardo DiCaprio told his name was 'too ethnic'

Leonardo DiCaprio was told he would need to change his name in order to achieve fame. Photo / Getty

Leonardo DiCaprio was once told to change his name.

The Revenant star was just 11-years-old when an agent suggested he changed his name to Lenny Williams as his birth moniker was "too ethnic" and might stop him getting work.

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

The 41-year-old actor also insisted he never got into acting for fame's sake and has just wanted to produce good films.

He told ShortList magazine: "A lot of people may look at what I've done career-wise and say that there was a period in which I tried to possibly become a movie star, per se, [and] tried to go for much bigger pictures.

"The truth of the matter is, there was a period of time, very early on, when I started watching films and having heroes in the industry, actor-wise. But I feel I've been consistent about my dreams and what I wanted to be as an actor."

-Bang! Showbiz