It doesn’t matter that it took 30 years for Thandiwe Newton to reclaim her name, it’s just important that she did

What’s in a name? Thandiwe Newton has proven there’s quite a lot, actually. 

For 30 years, the British actress was credited in Hollywood blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible 2, Crash and Solo: A Star Wars Story as Thandie Newton – and that’s how we grew to know and love her work. 

However, it wasn’t the real ‘Thandie’. She was actually Thandiwe and you better believe she’s reclaiming it.

With so many years of acting behind her and at the age of 48, many are probably wondering: what’s the point in changing her name now? 

Well, it goes much deeper than simply correcting a spelling error. 

My entire life, my name has been pronounced as everything under the sun from ‘Aleeeesha’ to ‘Ale-shee-ya’ and even simply Alice as opposed to ‘A-li-see-ah’, which is how my parents intended it to be said. I’m typically called anything but my actual name and, as you can imagine, it grows to be incredibly frustrating.

Sometimes it’s extremely offensive, sometimes I laugh; regardless, whenever it’s pronounced wrong, it always feels a little like my identity has been stripped away – and let’s not even start on my Nigerian surname. 

Alicia isn’t even an African name – it originated in Spain, I believe – and I do sometimes consider if a small minority of people mispronounce it deliberately (or even subconsciously) based on the colour of my skin. 

Would they assume a white person is more likely to be called ‘A-li-see-ah’ rather than ‘Alesha’? 

After everything the past year has shown about the underhand way racism exists in our society, you can never be too sure. 

While I love my Christian first name, I am also very proud of my Nigerian names. 

They make up the thread that traces back to my family’s roots in Nigeria and it’s full of interesting history. 

Many of the tribes that make up Africa’s nations have kings, queens, princes, chiefs and so forth, and their names are their badges of honour. 

Thandiwe is said to mean ‘beloved’ in Ndebele and Zulu from her family’s native Zimbabwe and you can bet it’s steeped in plenty of rich history. 

When she was accidentally credited as ‘Thandie’, that entire history was erased. 

So, ‘why not correct it earlier?’, lots of you are probably asking. For many Black and brown people, it’s not that simple. 

Just how my first name is often mispronounced, many other people from ethnic groups have gone through the same thing and we have all probably felt that same feeling. 

That’s the feeling of being othered – being approached differently because our names seem different; so foreign.

This is the point when many choose to go by a more English-sounding name to assimilate better into a white society and eliminate that awkwardness completely.

Of course that’s not always the reason but more often than not, it’s the truth. 

Thandiwe probably didn’t correct the spelling of her name because it was just easier to go along with Thandie and to fit into Hollywood. 

It doesn’t matter that it took 30 years to reclaim her name, it’s just important that she did it. 

The fact she is no longer refusing to allow someone else to define her heritage and ancestry is powerful beyond words. 

With it, she is proudly standing in her truth and owning her heritage regardless of if the name sounds ‘weird’ or is difficult for some to say. It’s completely inspiring and will hopefully make others feel they don’t have to water down their names to get ahead. 

So what’s in a name? A whole damn lot. 

For more of Thandiwe’s story, See the full feature in the May issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands Friday April 9.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.

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