Why Leonardo DiCaprio Was Advised To Change His Name Early In His Career
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images By Joey Keogh/Feb. 25, 2022 10:06 am EST
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment, with one of the most uniquely recognizable monikers to boot. And yet, although DiCaprio has been a fixture on our screens since he was a cute kid appearing in commercials, it took a long time for him to consider acting as a viable career. DiCaprio even admitted to Variety, “I always thought Hollywood was this magical world where a fairy came down and said, ‘Come live with the Munchkins; you are now one of us.’ "
As the Oscar-winner shrugged, “I didn’t understand the concept of it as a career. I thought I would save up enough money to go to college.” DiCaprio comes from humble beginnings, rather than being born into a Hollywood family, which goes some way towards explaining why he didn’t understand his own star power at the time. Nowadays, of course, DiCaprio is a bonafide A-lister who calls the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino collaborators and friends. However, although there’s no denying who the “Titanic” star is, there was a time when the actor was advised that, if he ever wanted to make it, DiCaprio shouldn’t use his own name.
Why Leonardo DiCaprio Was Advised To Change His Name Early In His Career
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
By Joey Keogh/Feb. 25, 2022 10:06 am EST
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most recognizable faces in entertainment, with one of the most uniquely recognizable monikers to boot. And yet, although DiCaprio has been a fixture on our screens since he was a cute kid appearing in commercials, it took a long time for him to consider acting as a viable career. DiCaprio even admitted to Variety, “I always thought Hollywood was this magical world where a fairy came down and said, ‘Come live with the Munchkins; you are now one of us.’ "
As the Oscar-winner shrugged, “I didn’t understand the concept of it as a career. I thought I would save up enough money to go to college.” DiCaprio comes from humble beginnings, rather than being born into a Hollywood family, which goes some way towards explaining why he didn’t understand his own star power at the time. Nowadays, of course, DiCaprio is a bonafide A-lister who calls the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino collaborators and friends. However, although there’s no denying who the “Titanic” star is, there was a time when the actor was advised that, if he ever wanted to make it, DiCaprio shouldn’t use his own name.
As the Oscar-winner shrugged, “I didn’t understand the concept of it as a career. I thought I would save up enough money to go to college.” DiCaprio comes from humble beginnings, rather than being born into a Hollywood family, which goes some way towards explaining why he didn’t understand his own star power at the time. Nowadays, of course, DiCaprio is a bonafide A-lister who calls the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino collaborators and friends.
However, although there’s no denying who the “Titanic” star is, there was a time when the actor was advised that, if he ever wanted to make it, DiCaprio shouldn’t use his own name.
Leonardo DiCaprio was told his name was “too ethnic”
Michael Kovac/Getty Images
He continued, “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.’”
