"Early in my career, I didn't want to be the villain," the Tricolours prop said ahead of Sunday's grand final with Newcastle.
"I was trying to please everyone ... but I was still the villain so I'm like, 'Screw it, I may as well go full throttle'.
"I'm not trying to play a character, it's just me."
Leniu has rarely spoken publicly this season and has been protected from the spotlight by the Roosters during their run to a first grand final since 2019.
Some of that is his own choice. Leniu previously described a career in journalism as "one of the lowest jobs".
You get the impression that the Roosters would prefer it if he kept a low profile, given his on-field antics have been enough to attract unwarranted headlines.
There is the Ezra Mam racial slur that landed him an eight-game ban following his Roosters debut, the sideline clash with Johnathan Thurston and the mad-eyed stand-off with South Sydney forward Keaon Koloamatangi last month.
Those incidents have shaped public perception of Leniu as a trash-talking bad boy.
But in a rare interview with AAP this week, Leniu cuts a different figure.
He becomes emotional when talking about his nine-month-old son and is at pains to underline his appreciation for the Roosters.
But one thing is abundantly clear, he "will never change for anyone".
"That would be my message to anyone that's coming into the NRL - be you, don't try to fit a mould, whether they judge you, hate you or love you," Leniu said.
"I can't help what perceptions people have of me. I'm going to go out there and be me. If I get judged for that, then it is what it is."
Leniu has another year to go on his contract, but continues to be heavily linked with an early release to join Parramatta at season's end.
He declined to discuss his future, having previously dismissed speculation linking him with a move away from the Roosters.
But there is a finality to Leniu's comments as he reflects on his time in Sydney's east.
"I came to this club in a rebuilding phase - the end goal was a grand final and to bring a trophy back to the Roosters," Leniu said.
"I got to play six Origins since I've been here ... if it wasn't for being here I don't think I'd have done that.
"I've had the lowest of lows at this club, that's why I hold them so special.
"My first game, I did what I did ... but you can tell the truthfulness and the heart of a club when you go through your lowest points and they stuck by me. I'll be forever indebted to the Roosters for that."
Leniu arrived at the Roosters as a three-time premiership winner with designs on becoming a starting prop and the long-term replacement for Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
But over time, the Samoa Test prop has been increasingly consigned to a bench role.
He was an unused interchange player in the preliminary final win over the Dolphins, with Trent Robinson preferring to deploy utility Hugo Savala as insurance for halfback Sam Walker.
It means there's a reality against Newcastle, that Leniu may not see gametime.
Again, Leniu faces the prospect of playing a role he didn't want to have.
"(But) if I get on the field or not, I'll give it my all being a cheerleader," he added.
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