Did you know? Leonardo DiCaprio has a Sikh connection to India

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed an unexpected personal connection to India, surprising fans during a recent interview with Time magazine in which he spoke about his family background.

The actor shared that his stepmother follows Sikhism, offering a glimpse into his upbringing. DiCaprio said, “My stepmother is a Sikh. My father is from the sort of hippie counterculture, grew up in San Fran in Los Angeles. He hung out with a lot of the underground art movement in the Los Angeles of the 70s,” Hindustan Times has reported.

Leonardo’s stepmother, Peggy DiCaprio, is an Amritdhari Sikh who wears a turban and is often seen dressed in traditional Indian attire.

According to reports, she embraced Sikhism several years ago, though she began wearing a turban only in recent years. Peggy married Leonardo’s father, George DiCaprio, in 1995 and has a son, Adam Ferrar, who is Leonardo’s stepbrother. She is George’s second wife, following his divorce from Leonardo’s mother, Irmelin Indenbirken, when the actor was just one year old.

The revelation sparked warm reactions across social media. One fan commented, “This just made me love him more! He was obviously raised by some good people,” as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Another wrote, “Leonardo DiCaprio’s stepmom being a Sikh is a random fact I love lol.” A third reaction read, “I’m a Sikh - no turban for me though 😂-, and it’s wild that one of the most famous actors on the planet is connected somehow to a religion that is not as widely followed as others.”Another admirer added, “I have followed Leo since What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. I have never heard of him talking about his family. It’s beautiful,” as quoted by Hindustan Times.

DiCaprio also shared an amusing anecdote involving his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Brad Pitt. He recalled how Pitt struggled to believe that the casually dressed couple on the street were actually his parents.

Leo said, “I remember when we are turning a corner out of Musso and Frank's into Hollywood Boulevard. I said to Brad, ‘That’s my dad and my stepmom there, and he goes, ‘Yeah, right!’ I said no, that's them! He goes, ‘Yeah! right!’ I said I know they look like extras in this movie but that's really them! That's how they dress everyday. It was an amazing moment!”, Hindustan Times has reported.

Leonardo DiCaprio was last seen in One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film also stars Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. It follows the story of a former revolutionary living off-grid with his daughter, whose life is upended when a long-lost enemy resurfaces. The film was released in theatres on September 26 and received widespread critical acclaim.