'The Pitt' Star Refused To Change Her Name For Roles
by Jada GomezBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffAs the Managing Editor of Streaming at BuzzFeed, I cover all things entertainment, and especially love to nerd out on all things Disney.
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.
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Sepideh Moafi did not give in to that pressure to change to fit in when she began working as an actor.
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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.
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"When I graduated from grad school, my first agent wanted me to change my name and I immediately said, f--- no," Sepideh told People.
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"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,” Sepideh shared.
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However, Sepideh is clear that she doesn't judge anyone who does decide to change their name for more work. "I don't think there's anything wrong with people who decide to do it," she clarified.
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"I know actors who have changed their names and there's no judgment there," she said. "And I know a lot of actors, specifically people of color, who have been expected to change their name and haven't."
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"I hope anyone who makes that choice makes it for themselves and not because they feel like they need to change who they are in order to be more universally palatable,” Sepideh continued.
photo: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle / ©Showtime / Courtesy: Everett Collection
Sepideh brings that same energy of standing in her own resolve to her Pitt character, Dr. Al-Hashimi. So far this season, she continues to fight an uphill battle to be seen as Dr. Robby's equal in the ER.
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"Unfortunately, it's not just the norm with our male counterparts. It's sort of ingrained on a systemic level and sometimes infects other women in positions of power," Sepideh shared. "We have this patriarchal lens and some women think they need to maintain these rather patriarchal norms to uphold and exist within the system."
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"As the actor inside of Dr. Al-Hashimi, I felt like I was voicing something that was so much bigger than that moment,” she continued.
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This woman of color with a multi-hyphenate identity salutes Sepideh and Dr. Al-Hashimi both.
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