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Thandiwe Newton has corrected the spelling of her name after decades

British actress Thandiwe Newton is finally setting the record straight after being incorrectly credited in her first ever film role.

Thandiwe Newton has corrected the spelling of her name after decades of it being misspelled. Picture: Getty Images/AFP
Thandiwe Newton has corrected the spelling of her name after decades of it being misspelled. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

Thandiwe Newton is “taking back what’s hers”.

Appearing on the cover of British Vogue, the Westworld actress revealed she is going by her birth name again after being incorrectly credited in her first role.

Newton, born Melanie Thandiwe Newton, said there was a mistake in her first film in which she was credited as “Thandie”, and, subsequently, every role since.

She told the magazine of finally using Thandiwe: “That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine.”

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Thandiwe Newton stars on the cover of British Vogue’s May 2021 issue. Picture: Mikael Jansson for Vogue
Thandiwe Newton stars on the cover of British Vogue’s May 2021 issue. Picture: Mikael Jansson for Vogue

The 48-year-old actress also opened up about the response to her claims she was a victim of sexual abuse in her teenage years in the industry.

In June 2016, Newton told W Magazine an incident had allegedly occurred when she was 16 years old on the set of 1991 film Flirting, which also starred Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.

She alleged the film’s directorfilmedup her skirt during her audition, and later allegedly shared the tapes with his friends at poker games.

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British actress Thandiwe Newton first opened up about her abuse in 2016. Picture: AFP.
British actress Thandiwe Newton first opened up about her abuse in 2016. Picture: AFP.

She also alleged she was “groomed over weeks” on the set, leading to a separate incident.

“I didn’t fight him off; I was almost paralysed with fear. It was sexual abuse,” she alleged.

“I was 16, and a virgin. I’d been psychologically groomed over weeks,” she claimed in an interview with the Sunday Times.

Now, in her latest interview, The Pursuit of Happyness actress said the alleged incident left her “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***ed up it was. I was basically waiting for someone to come along and say, ‘Well, what shall we do about this?’’’

Newton and Nicole Kidman in 1991 film Flirting. Picture: Supplied
Newton and Nicole Kidman in 1991 film Flirting. Picture: Supplied

Newton has previously said the incident was part of the reason she took her role in HBO’s Westworld, in which she plays a robot who becomes aware of her existence and turns against her creators.

Newton and co-star Evan Rachel Wood successfully fought for equal pay with their male counterparts back in 2018.

“It wasn’t a celebration. I was disgusted,” she told Vogue of the win, explaining that the industry has a long way to go.

Vogue’s May 2021 cover star, Thandiwe Newton. Picture: Mikael Jansson for Vogue
Vogue’s May 2021 cover star, Thandiwe Newton. Picture: Mikael Jansson for Vogue

“Even though people know they can speak out now, there is still the fear of losing their job,” she added.

“I mean literally, people still say, ‘There’s someone else who could take this position, if you’re not happy,’ that kind of sh*t. I do think studio heads need to take much more responsibility.”

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/thandiwe-newton-has-corrected-the-spelling-of-her-name-after-decades/news-story/e2739f9113a356fb248f1df0dd7af304