Actress Thandiwe Newton, March 6, 2020. – Magnus Sundholm / REX
He should no longer be called “Thandie” Newton. The British actress has decided to revert to the original spelling of her first name: “Thandiwe”, “beloved” in Shona, a language of southern Africa. The star of the series Westworld announced it in an interview with the UK edition of the magazine Vogue, published Sunday.
The daughter of a British lab technician and a Zimbabwean princess, Thandiwe Newton explains that the spelling of her first name was changed in the credits of her first acting role for the film Flirting from 1991, when she was only 16 years old. ” [Thandiwe] it’s my name. It’s always been my name. I take back what is mine ”.
Sexual assault charges
The actress has long been a champion of the cause of women and the fight against sexual assault. She also spoke out against racist and sexual abuse in Hollywood. In the interview given to Vogue, the actress claims that the director of FlirtingJohn Duigan had asked her to take a “slightly darker” skin tone for the role. She also reiterates allegations that the 39-year-old director had entered into a relationship of a sexual nature, which she had described in the past as “forced”.
She also recalls other racist and sexual incidents, including a director who sexually abused her before showing a video of the event to others. “I was traumatized,” the actress told the magazine. Thandiwe Newton also speaks candidly about his struggle with an eating disorder, calling it “the most horrible dance with something that is supposed to bring life.”