British actress Thandie Newton has left many wondering why she is reverting to the original Zimbabwean spelling of her name, Thandiwe, after decades in Hollywood.
Newton, the daughter of a British lab technician and a Zimbabwean princess, told British Vogue magazine that she is taking back her original name. The name “Thandiwe” which means “beloved” in the African country’s Shona language and is pronounced “tan-DEE-way” was changed in the credits for her first acting role, in 1991’s “Flirting,” when she was just 16.
“That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine,” the 48-year-old was told Vogue in her May 2021 cover interview.
Newton, who has long been an advocate for women who have been sexually assaulted, has been outspoken about racism and sexual abuse in Hollywood.
In the Vogue interview, Newton said “Flirting” director John Duigan asked her to “be a bit darker” for the role, and repeated allegations that the then-39-year-old embarked on what she has previously described as a “coerced” sexual relationship with her. She recalled other derogatory incidents of racism and sexual abuse, including a director who abused her and then showed footage of the incident to others.
Newton is known for starring roles such as the title character in Beloved (1998), Nyah Nordoff-Hall in Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Christine in Crash (2004), for which she received a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Linda in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Stella in RockNRolla (2008), Condoleezza Rice in W. (2008), Laura Wilson in 2012 (2009), and Val in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).