“I’m actually happy with my 20-letter title. It’s fairly superior.”
In Hollywood, you’d be stunned by what number of celebrities don’t go by their actual title. As an alternative, on the rise to fame, they select to undertake a stage title. Whether or not it’s as a result of they have been instructed their given title wasn’t attention-grabbing sufficient or was too arduous to pronounce, many have felt pressured to alter their moniker.
However not all stars have given into the insistence of managers and executives who needed them to eliminate their id. Fairly a couple of stars have stood robust with their need to maintain their names — and have succeeded regardless of the calls for.
Learn on to search out out which stars turned down a reputation change…
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1. Zoe Saldaña
Early on in Zoe Saldaña’s profession, her workforce prompt to her that she change her title. Zoe later defined that her supervisor instructed her that it was one thing everybody in Hollywood did — and even the supervisor herself had modified her moniker.
“After I did Heart Stage, I bear in mind being discouraged by my administration at the moment to make use of my title. However their intention was by no means for me to cease being who I’m. They celebrated who I used to be,” she instructed Leisure Weekly.
She continued, “However my supervisor on the time was a former singer and a ballroom performer, and he or she did change her title as nicely when she was an adolescent again within the ’60s, I consider. And he or she stated it’s what all people does. That as we speak is recommendation we take into account poor, however that was her doing the most effective that she needed for me. However I nonetheless knew that I favored my title.”
Rising up, Saoirse Ronan thought of altering her tough to pronounce title — particularly contemplating she didn’t know anybody else who shared the moniker. However as she bought older, she determined that she wasn’t going to let anybody have an effect on how she felt about her title.
“After I was a baby and no one else was referred to as Saoirse, I believed, ‘Oh, I’d like a traditional title,’ simply because I used to be a child,” she instructed the Irish Unbiased. “However the older I bought, I made a decision I used to be by no means going to alter something for anybody.”

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3. Hasan Minhaj
When Hasan Minhaj started his profession in comedy, he was instructed he was going to have to alter his title. At first he tried going by the title Sean at a couple of open mic nights however in the end determined to make use of a extra Americanized pronunciation of his actual title, a lot to his father or mother’s dismay. However the whole lot modified for him throughout an look on The Ellen Present when she mispronounced his title — and he determined to set the report straight as soon as and for all.
“After I first began doing comedy, individuals have been like, ‘You must change your title.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not going to alter my title.’ In case you can pronounce Ansel Elgort, you possibly can pronounce Hasan Minhaj. There’s an actor simply named Ansel Elgort and all of us simply stroll round saying it, utterly usually,” Hasan stated on the present.
Rising up, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan knew her title was arduous to say so she used to anglicize it so it was simpler for others to pronounce. Wanting again, she says she would inform classmates and pals to name her “tray, like my tray of cookies.” When she landed her function in By no means Have I Ever, she determined to make use of the chance as a contemporary begin to educate others correctly say her title.
“After I got here to Hollywood and other people have been like, ‘Sorry, how do you say your title?’ That was my epiphany of like, ‘You’ve got a contemporary begin, nobody right here is aware of your title, go for it.’ And I’m actually happy with my 20-letter title. It’s fairly superior,” she instructed Refinery 29 Australia.
She continued, “I don’t ever plan on altering it, and I simply need individuals to respect that and check out their hardest to say it proper. Clearly, they won’t get it proper the primary time, I get it, that’s completely positive. Simply attempt to simply give me that respect as a result of that is one thing that everybody deserves in relation to their very own title.”

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As a younger actor, Harrison Ford was inspired to make use of a stage title like a lot of his fellow entertainers. Harrison wasn’t into the concept of going by a unique title so when the studio instructed him to give you alternate monikers, he selected the outlandish title Kurt Affair. The studio ultimately dropped the concept and Harrison bought out of his contract.
“They thought Harrison Ford was a pretentious title for a younger man. I did not agree with that. I believed it was a pretentious title for an previous man. I nonetheless haven’t modified it,” Harrison shared.
When Barbra Streisand was a younger musician, she was instructed she ought to change her title to Barbara Sands. Wanting again, she says she had no real interest in going by a stage title — however she did comply with take away an “a” from her delivery title Barbara to make her moniker extra distinctive.
“Individuals needed me to be referred to as Barbara Sands. I believed, ‘What? No. Streisand is my title. I don’t need to change it,’” Barbra shared on The Tonight Present.

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7. Michael Peña
When Michael Peña first bought to Hollywood, it was advisable that he change his title. Michael declined, feeling that altering his title could be erasing a few of his id and his household’s historical past. Though he noticed actors who had modified their title getting extra jobs than him, he needed to turn into an inspiration to different Latino individuals.
“I noticed that some individuals would change their title, and they might get commercials. I simply thought it was a slap within the face…as a result of I did cope with racism as a child. So it felt like altering my title could be form of like conforming. I’m not likely down for that,” he instructed GQ.
He continued, “I do know that my dad and mom, they crossed the border to supply us a fantastic life. And I didn’t need to flip my again on my dad working two full-time jobs, my mother working two full-time jobs, so me and my brother might go to non-public faculty. So I by no means thought of it. It might’ve been simpler, perhaps. Possibly at first.”
Emilio Estevez’s father Martin Sheen was born Ramón Estévez however adopted a stage title early in his profession. When his kids determined to pursue performing, he hoped that they wouldn’t do the identical, encouraging them to maintain their household title. Emilio’s agent did actually ask him to alter his title — however he declined.
“The one affect I had on Emilio was to maintain his title. When he began out, his agent was advising him to alter his title to Sheen and he wouldn’t do it. And I thank God he didn’t,” he instructed Nearer Weekly.

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9. Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch was really given the primary title Jo at delivery however whereas in class, she determined to go by her center title Raquel. When she started her leisure profession, executives needed her to alter her title to Debbie. She declined.
“Individuals didn’t like my title they usually stated it was too ethnic, too tough to pronounce, too unique,” she shared. “They needed to alter it and I used to be not completely happy in any respect. I did actually really feel like Raquel.”
Annie star Quvenzhané Wallis might have a reputation that’s tough to pronounce however she says she’s not focused on having it every other approach. Quvenzhané is the title she was given at delivery and it’s the title she’ll be retaining.
“I’ll by no means change as a result of that’s what I used to be born with,” she instructed V journal.

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11. Andy García
When Andy García first started his performing profession within the Seventies, he was urged to alter his title. On the time, Latino actors have been typically “pigeonholed into components that require a personality that they suppose may very well be Hispanic.” On high of that, there weren’t many roles out there that match that description. Executives instructed Andy that altering his title would open up extra alternatives — however he declined.
“I feel that crucial factor as an artist is to [have] a really private connection to who you’re. I at all times felt that in altering the title I’d lose form of the essence of how I might personalize the work, my perspective. And it will be, in a approach, betraying that, betraying my inside self,” Andy instructed HuffPost.
He continued, “So on a private notice I used to be simply by no means ready to go that route. You consider it very strongly since you need to have the ability to work, however on the finish of the day I made a decision to not go that route. It’s totally tough, I feel, when somebody asks you who you’re and also you state your title and it’s not likely your title.”

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