13 Celebrities Who Remorse Their Stage Names

Loads of aspiring actors and singers select a stage identify earlier than heading to Hollywood. After they lastly make it large, that is the identify they will see in lights as an alternative of the one they have been born with.

Whereas many celebrities strongly establish with their stage names, there are additionally some who want they’d by no means chosen a faux identify within the first place. Some are profitable in altering their names, however others are caught with a reputation they hate.

Listed below are 13 celebrities who remorse altering their names for Hollywood:

1.

Martin Sheen was born Ramon Estévez, however he was satisfied to make use of a stage identify early in his appearing profession.

He advised Closer Weekly, “Typically, you get persuaded while you don’t have sufficient perception and even sufficient braveness to face up for what you imagine in, and also you pay for it later…However, after all, I’m solely talking for myself.”

Whereas his son and fellow actor, Charlie Sheen — whose start identify is Carlos Estévez — adopted the same stage identify, he is grateful that he was capable of affect his older son Emilio Estévez to behave underneath his actual identify.

2.

Thandiwe Newton makes use of the true spelling of her identify professionally now, however for 30 years, she acted underneath a barely altered model — Thandie Newton.

The stage identify started as a spelling error within the credit of her 1991 film Flirting. Despite the fact that her character’s identify was additionally Thandiwe, the actor was miscredited as Thandie — and it caught.

Nonetheless, in 2021, she reverted to the proper spelling of her identify, telling British Vogue, “That’s my identify. It’s at all times been my identify. I’m taking again what’s mine.”

3.

Anne Hathaway goes by her start identify, however she hates being referred to as Anne and regrets making it her skilled identify.

On The Tonight Show, she mentioned, “Once I was 14 years outdated, I did a business, and I needed to get my SAG card and so they requested me, ‘What would you like your identify to be?’ And I used to be like, ‘Effectively, it ought to be my identify. My identify’s Anne Hathaway.’ In order that appeared like the fitting selection, but it surely by no means occurred to me that for the remainder of my life, individuals will name me Anne.”

She additionally revealed that she’d want for everybody to name her Annie as an alternative, which is the identify everybody in her private life is aware of her by.

4.

Nicki Minaj was born Onika Maraj — and her stage identify wasn’t even her selection.

She advised the Guardian, “One of many first manufacturing offers I signed, the man wished my identify to be Minaj and I fought him tooth and nail. However he satisfied me. I’ve at all times hated it.”

To her, Nicki Minaj is a personality she performs. She mentioned, “I really feel it is like one large theatre piece. It is a present.”

5.

Nicholas Leanos rose to fame underneath the identify Lil Xan earlier than altering his stage identify to Diego, which is his authorized center identify.

The “Lil Xan” identify — quick for Xanax — was a stark contradiction to the anti-drug stance the rapper took in his lyrics. Most notably, in his breakout hit “Betrayal,” he mentioned, “Xans do not make you / Xans gon’ take you / Xans gon’ faux you / And Xans gon’ betray you.”

His identify change adopted each his determination to stop the medication he wrote about in previous songs and the lack of fellow rapper, Lil Peep, who died after an overdose.

He advised Complex, “The entire thing is sort of a journey. It’s not like, ‘Oh, Xan made a music a very long time in the past embracing Xanax, he’s a fucking liar.’ They’ll see my journey unfold. That many months in the past I used to be going by way of that and that’s how issues have been up till ‘Betrayed.’ Now they’ll see the place it began, what occurred, and the place I’m now.”

6.

Jude Legislation was born David Legislation, however when he enrolled in a London-based youth theater group as a youngster, he started utilizing one among his two center names as a stage identify.

Nonetheless, he regretted adopting the brand new identify when it induced confusion over his gender.

Assuming {that a} scholar named Jude have to be a lady, the Nationwide Youth Music Theatre assigned him to the women’ dormitories.

7.

Dante Smith launched his music profession underneath the moniker Mos Def, however, in 2012, he selected a brand new stage identify — Yasiin Bey.

He advised GQ, “I started to concern that Mos Def was being handled as a product, not an individual, so I’ve been going by Yasiin since ’99. At first it was only for family and friends, however now I’m declaring it brazenly.”

He additionally advised the Guardian, “[I don’t want] to deal [any more] with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as.”

8.

Joan Crawford was born Lucille LeSueur, however when she signed with MGM, the studio forced her to alter her identify.

The then-chief of MGM let the followers vote on what the actor’s new identify ought to be.

She reportedly hated the identify as a result of she thought “Crawford” sounded too just like “crawfish.”

9.

When Alyssa Stephens initially launched her rap profession, she used a racial slur for a stage identify. Nonetheless, following criticism, she changed it to Latto.

To her, “Latto” is brief for “lottery,” and it represents a brand new chapter. Addressing the identify change in her music “The Largest,” she rapped, “It contradicted what I stand for/The backlash ain’t what I deliberate for…New crib/new whip/new identify/I’m nonetheless that bitch.”

She advised Hot Freestyle, “You realize you may know your intentions, however these are strangers who don’t know you, by no means even met you in individual…So that you gotta hear one another out, and if you recognize these aren’t your intentions and that’s the way it’s being perceived, it’s like why not make a change or alter it?”

She additionally addressed taking accountability for it on Twitter.

10.

M*A*S*H actor Harry Morgan was born Harry Bratsberg. Although he was happy with the Norwegian heritage his final identify represented, he succumbed to the stress to alter it for his profession.

He advised the Chicago Tribune, “I want I hadn’t modified my identify, to let you know the reality…I am all in favor of remembering one’s roots.”

He additionally mentioned that he wished he’d been capable of rise up for himself the best way John Hodiak refused to let MGM change his identify. He mentioned, “They wished him to alter his identify, and he mentioned, no, that is my identify. And he was happy with being Ukrainian.”

11.

Child Rock’s authorized identify is Robert Ritchie, and he thinks his stage identify is “the worst identify on the planet.”

He advised Esquire, “The one individual that had a dumber identify than me was the Contemporary Prince.”

“It seemed like a cool rap identify after I was sixteen. But it surely caught, and now it is me. I will be an 80-year-old man — ‘name me the Child,'” he continued.

12.

Earlier than he glided by J. Cole, Jermaine Cole rapped underneath the identify Therapist.

When he was a youngster, the native rap group, Bomb Shelter, mentored him and the members’ artistic names — together with Nervous Reck and Filthy Ritch — impressed him to seek out one among his personal. They helped him provide you with “Therapist” whereas trying by way of a dictionary.

Nonetheless, it did not final. He advised MTV’s When I Was 17, “A couple of years later, I spotted Therapist seemed like a wrestler’s identify. You realize, like an alias. It did not really feel actual…J. Cole felt like my actual identify…It did not really feel like I used to be attempting to be something.”

13.

And at last, when 16-year-old Emily Stone’s identify was already taken at SAG, she registered underneath the stage identify Riley Stone. Nonetheless, six months later, she went again and altered it to Emma Stone.

She advised The Tonight Show, “It wasn’t essentially due to [Baby Spice], however sure, in second grade, did I’m going as much as the trainer and ask her to name me Emma? Sure I did. And was it due to Emma Lee Bunton from the Spice Women? Sure it was.”

Nonetheless, she misses going by her authorized identify. She advised W Magazine, “I miss Emily. I might like to get her again.”