11 Stars Who Refused To Change Their Names For Hollywood

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 want to maintain their names — and have succeeded regardless of the calls for.

Learn on to seek out out which stars turned down a reputation change…

1. Zoe Saldaña

Early on in Zoe Saldaña’s profession, her group urged to her that she change her title. Zoe later defined that her supervisor advised her that it was one thing everybody in Hollywood did — and even the supervisor herself had modified her moniker.

“After I did Middle Stage, I keep 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 advised Leisure Weekly.

She continued, “However my supervisor on the time was a former singer and a ballroom performer, and she or he did change her title as properly when she was a young person again within the ’60s, I consider. And she or he stated it’s what all people does. That right this moment is recommendation we contemplate poor, however that was her doing the most effective that she needed for me. However I nonetheless knew that I favored my title.”

2. Saoirse Ronan

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 received 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 toddler and no one else was known as Saoirse, I assumed, ‘Oh, I’d like a standard title,’ simply because I used to be a child,” she advised the Irish Unbiased. “However the older I received, I made a decision I used to be by no means going to alter something for anybody.”

3. Hasan Minhaj

When Hasan Minhaj started his profession in comedy, he was advised 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 guardian’s dismay. However all the things 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, folks had been like, ‘You need to change your title.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not going to alter my title.’ In the event 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 announcing it, utterly usually,” Hasan stated on the present.

4. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

Rising up, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan knew her title was onerous 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 recent begin to educate others how you can correctly say her title.

“After I got here to Hollywood and other people had been like, ‘Sorry, how do you say your title?’ That was my epiphany of like, ‘You’ve gotten a recent 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 advised Refinery 29 Australia.

She continued, “I don’t ever plan on altering it, and I simply need folks to respect that and take a look at their hardest to say it proper. Clearly, they won’t get it proper the primary time, I get it, that’s completely high quality. Simply try to simply give me that respect as a result of that is one thing that everybody deserves in relation to their very own title.”

5. Harrison Ford

As a younger actor, Harrison Ford was inspired to make use of a stage title like lots of his fellow entertainers. Harrison wasn’t into the concept of going by a special title so when the studio advised him to provide you with alternate monikers, he selected the outlandish title Kurt Affair. The studio ultimately dropped the concept and Harrison received out of his contract.

“They thought Harrison Ford was a pretentious title for a younger man. I did not agree with that. I assumed it was a pretentious title for an previous man. I nonetheless haven’t modified it,” Harrison shared.

6. Barbra Streisand

When Barbra Streisand was a younger musician, she was advised she ought to change her title to Barbara Sands. Wanting again, she says she had little interest in going by a stage title — however she did comply with take away an “a” from her start title Barbara to make her moniker extra distinctive.

“Folks needed me to be known as Barbara Sands. I assumed, ‘What? No. Streisand is my title. I don’t need to change it,’” Barbra shared on The Tonight Present.

7. Michael Peña

When Michael Peña first received 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 change into an inspiration to different Latino folks.

“I noticed that some folks would change their title, and they’d get commercials. I simply thought it was a slap within the face…as a result of I did take care of racism as a child. So it felt like altering my title could be sort of like conforming. I’m not likely down for that,” he advised GQ.

He continued, “I do know that my mother and father, 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. Perhaps at first.”

8. Emilio Estevez

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 advised Nearer Weekly.

9. Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch was truly given the primary title Jo at start 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.

“Folks 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 comfortable in any respect. I did actually really feel like Raquel.”

10. Quvenzhané Wallis

Annie star Quvenzhané Wallis could have a reputation that’s tough to pronounce however she says she’s not eager about having it every other approach. Quvenzhané is the title she was given at start and it’s the title she’ll be maintaining.

“I’ll by no means change as a result of that’s what I used to be born with,” she advised V journal.

11. Andy García

When Andy García first started his performing profession within the Nineteen Seventies, he was urged to alter his title. On the time, Latino actors had been usually “pigeonholed into components that require a personality that they suppose might be Hispanic.” On high of that, there weren’t many roles obtainable that match that description. Executives advised Andy that altering his title would open up extra alternatives — however he declined.

“I feel that a very powerful 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 kind of the essence of how I might personalize the work, my perspective. And it will be, in a approach, betraying that, betraying my internal self,”   Andy advised HuffPost.

He continued, “So on a private word 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.”