Thandiwe Newton recovers its original name.
(CNN) -
Thandiwe Newton wants her name back.
The "Westworld" actress, who until now went by the name Thandie Newton, told
British
Vogue
: "I'm going to take back what's mine."
Newton's parents, a princess from Zimbabwe and a laboratory technician from Cornwall, England, named her Thandiwe, which means beloved in the Shona language.
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However, as a black girl in a Catholic school in Cornwall, her name became anglicized.
"The
'w'
in her name was lost, out of sight and out of hearing, in the vain hope of making her feel less different," wrote
Vogue
.
Newton, who appears on the cover of this year's May issue of the magazine, spoke of how racism was present throughout his life.
She experienced it in her after-school dance classes growing up, when the teacher "always left the brilliant brunette dancer behind when it came to trophies."
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This played a role in her auditions.
"I've been too black, and not black enough," Newton said.
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Newton added that he lost roles for refusing to interpret racial and sexual stereotypes.
When she won a BAFTA, a British newspaper pointed out that Newton was not really British because one of her parents was black.
“I remember thinking: 'But this is a British victory!
Why don't you want to accept it? ”He said.
Newton said.
Newton used his experiences as fuel for activism, which has become an important part of his life.
Wearing clothing that represents her dual heritage on the cover of
British
Vogue
, Newton makes no secret of her provenance, and that includes her name.
All his future films will be named after Thandiwe Newton.
"That's my name.
It has always been my name, ”he says.
BAFTAStereotypesRacismWestworld