CALL ME THANDIWE NEWTON
30 years after movie chiefs spelt her name wrongly in her first film, star puts it right
FOR 30 years film and TV audiences have known her as Thandie Newton. But not for much longer.
The British actress is reverting to her real name – Thandiwe – three decades after it was misspelt in her first film.
The star, 48, whose full name is Melanie Thandiwe Newton, appears on the cover of the May issue of British Vogue with her name spelt correctly in a major publication for the first time.
She has revealed that ‘Thandie’ was a careless misspelling in the credits of her first movie – the 1991 Australian film Flirting, costarring Nicole Kidman and Noah Taylor – and it has stuck ever since.
In the film, Ms Newton actually plays a character called Thandiwe and while her character’s name is spelled correctly in the end credits, hers is not.
It is unclear whether this was coincidental or a deliberate decision.
In all her future projects she will be credited as Thandiwe Newton.
‘That’s my name. It’s always been my name. I’m taking back what’s mine,’ she told the magazine.
The name is pronounced ‘tan-DEEway’ and means ‘beloved’. It’s not known why the actress, who is known for being outspoken, has waited this long to officially use her real name.
London-born Ms Newton is the daughter of Nyasha, a Zimbabwean healthcare worker, and Nick, a British lab technician. She is married to film director Ol Parker, 51, and they have three children. Their daughter Nico, 16, is already starting out as an actress, and appeared in 2019 Disney live-action film Dumbo.
See the full feature in the May issue of Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Friday.