People with nontraditional American names — especially women of color — know exactly what it’s like to feel made out of place. Whether teachers butcher your “ethnic” name during morning attendance, or a colleague insists on giving you an easier nickname to pronounce, the struggle is real.
Sepideh Moafi did not give in to that pressure to change to fit in when she began working as an actor.
“The Pitt” star said although her first agent out of her master’s program recommended that she change her name in an effort to land more roles, she fiercely declined.
“When I graduated from grad school, my first agent wanted me to change my name and I immediately said, f―- no,” Moafi told People.
“It felt like they needed me to be someone different in order to work or to sell something. I refused. I continued, and I ended up booking my first job and then my second and third, and having a beautiful varied career as a result,” Moafi shared.
