Thandie Newton reverts to original Zimbabwean name 30 years after misspelt in first film

5 April 2021, 15:43 | Updated: 6 April 2021, 08:22

Actress Thandie Newton has said she is reverting to the original Zimbabwean spelling of her name, Thandiwe, three decades after it was misspelt in the credits of her first film.

The Emmy Award winning actress has been known as Thandie throughout her career, but says she is now reclaiming the original spelling of her name.

"That's my name. It's always been my name. I'm taking back what's mine," Ms Newton told British Vogue.

All her future films and TV shows will be credited with Thandiwe Newton, after the 'W' was missed out from the credits in her first film, Flirting, released in 1991.

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Ms Newton claims she was told to "be darker by Monday" in her first role and welcomed the recent improvement in representation of ethnic minority groups in the entertainment industry.

"The thing I'm most grateful for in our business right now is being in the company of others who truly see me. And to not be complicit in the objectification of black people as 'others', which is what happens when you're the only one," she added.

During the interview with Vogue, the Westworld and Line of Duty star also spoke about being "derailed" and "traumatised" after being abused as a young actress aged 16.

“There’s a moment where the ghost of me changed, you know, and it was then, it was 16," she recounted.

"He derailed me from myself utterly. I was traumatised. It was a kind of PTSD for sure.

"I was so distraught and appalled that a director had abused a young actress, and that it was happening elsewhere, minors getting abused and how f**ked up it was.

"I was basically waiting for someone to come along and say, 'Well, what shall we do about this?'"

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She added she now has a "seventh sense for abuse and abusers, which I believe is one of the reasons why I was rejected a lot in Hollywood".

Ms Newton said: "I'll talk about it until the cows come home, because I know I'll be helping someone."