‘My full name is Tanyaradzwa’: the stars reclaiming their names

Thandiwe Newton's much-lauded decision has inspired others and drawn attention to the power of names

When the director of her earliest film asked Thandiwe Newton if they could use her authentic and beautiful" first name for her character, the young actor felt flattered and agreed.

They later dropped the w" from her acting credit without proper consultation, using her anglicised nickname" to differentiate her from the character, and she thus became established professionally as Thandie" for the next three decades.