For more than 30 years, Thandiwe Newton credited as Thandie Newton – something that did not come from the decision to label herself as more marketable to Hollywood, but because of a misspelling. The ‘w’ was ‘indifferently missed from her first credit’, British Vogue revealed in an in-depth profile with the Westworld star, who announced that she was now regaining the original spelling of her name.
“It’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine,” Newton said in a British Vogue cover story of the award-winning British actress, announcing that she would be credited for all future film and television projects will become Thandiwe Newton, the original spelling of her name that was first switched to Thandie due to a misspelling in her first credit, the 1991 feature film. Flirt. Thandiwe means ‘beloved’ in Shona.
‘The thing I’m very grateful for right now is being with others who really see me. And not being complicit in objectifying black people as’ other ‘is what happens when you are the only one,’ Newton said.
In the profile, Newton reflected on her debut role in Flirt, The director was directed by Australian director John Duigan, against whom she has been making allegations of sexual abuse since 2011, although her story only got traction in the #MeToo movement. Newton only recently went into detail about how she – at the age of 16 – was forced into a relationship with Duigan during a 2020 episode of the WTF with the Marc Maron podcast.
“There’s a moment where my ghost changed, you know, and it was then 16,” Newton told British Vogue. “He completely derailed me. I was traumatized. It was definitely a kind of PTSD. I was so upset and shocked that a director abused a young actress, and that it happens elsewhere, minors are abused and how fucked up it was. I was basically waiting for someone to come and say, ‘Well, what are we going to do about this?’
In addition to reclaiming her name, Newton has since fought alongside Evan Rachel Wood in the HBO science series for equal pay. Westworldand won in season 3 their battle against the paycheck with their male costers. “It was not a celebration. I was disgusted, “Newton said of the victory. ‘Even though people know they can talk now, there is still the fear of losing their job. I mean literally: people still say, ‘There’s someone else who can take this position, if you’m not happy,’ that kind of shit. I do think studio heads need to take a lot more responsibility. ”
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