The audience has known her for over 30 years as Thandie Newton. Now, the Westworld actress revealed that it is not her real name. Her real name is Thandiwe Newton.
Newton’s full name is Melanie Thandiwe Newton. Thandiwe is pronounced ‘tan-DEE-way’ and it means ‘beloved’. In an interview with British Vogue, she revealed that her name was misspelled in the credits of her first film in 1991, Flirt who played alongside Nicole Kidman and Noah Taylor. As a result, Thandie Newton has been stuck for more than three decades. It is not known how long she waited to return to the correct spelling of her name – but it does not matter. What is important is that from here on we refer to her as Thandiwe Newton.
“The thing I’m very grateful for in our business right now is being with others who really see me,” Newton said in an interview with British Vogue. “And not being complicit in objectifying black people as ‘others’, that’s what happens when you are the only one. ‘
Newton continues: ‘This is my name. It’s always been my name. I take back what is mine. ‘
The Emmy-winning actress has become an outspoken advocate in many areas. In the British Vogue article mentions her involvement with the African American Policy Forum and the #sayhername campaign founded by her friend Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term “intersectionality”. Newton is also a board member of Eve Ensler’s V-Day, which supports female survivors of sexual violence in Congo with the City of Joy project. She also helped set up One Billion Rising, which launched campaigns to end violence against women. The OBE was also awarded in 2018 for her contributions to charity and film. “We can make a difference,” she said.