Thandiwe Newton shares her name has been misspelled for the last 30 years. Now a prolific actor, Newton started her career in 1991 with a role in the film Flirting alongside Nicole Kidman. She’s worked steadily since then, appearing in movies like Beloved, Mission: Impossible 2, and Crash, for which she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. More recently, Newton starred in Solo: A Star Wars Story as Val, a member of Tobias Beckett’s crew. However, one of her biggest roles thus far is in HBO’s critically acclaimed Westworld. Newton plays Maeve Millay, a role for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2018.
In addition to her impressive work as an actor, Newton is a powerful advocate for change in the industry. She’s opened up about the sexual abuse and racism she’s experienced while working in Hollywood and hasn’t been afraid to name names. In an eye-opening interview in 2020, Newton detailed troubling incidents that led to her departure from the 2000 movie Charlie’s Angels, saying she was asked to lean into Black stereotypes. It’s clear from those and new comments by the actor that she’ll continue to shine a light on the issues still plaguing the industry.
In a wide-ranging interview with British Vogue, Newton discusses her career thus far and also offers an important piece of information about it going forward. The actor explains the “w” in her name was left off her first acting credit. The misspelled version of Newton’s name was thus used on all of her subsequent projects. However, the actor now says she’ll be credited with the correct spelling going forward, offering a powerful message at the same time:
That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine.
Though it’s fairly common for actors to go by a different name, Newton’s experience is different than most. Many performers make the choice themselves and thus have a say in the decision. In Newton’s case, it seems it wasn’t her call at all but rather a misspelling she was forced to go with once she became well-known by the incorrect version of her name. It’s wonderful to hear Newton’s “taking back” what belongs to her and is no surprise coming from such a force in the industry.
It’s also important to note that even when actors do decide to go by a different name for the purpose of work, it isn’t always what they actually want to do. Performers with longer or foreign sounding names are often advised by members of their team to change them, a practice that shows Hollywood still has a long way to go in its push for inclusion and equality. Hopefully, Newton’s insistence her name is spelled correctly going forward will encourage others to make a similar move.
