Sepideh Moafi says she stood her ground early in her career after being asked by her first agent to change her name in order to secure more acting roles.
The The Pitt Season 2 star shared in a recent interview that the suggestion came right after she graduated from graduate school.
“When I graduated from grad school, my first agent wanted me to change my name and I immediately said, ‘Fuck no,’” she recalled.
Moafi acknowledged that name changes are a personal and often complex decision for actors, particularly for people of color navigating the industry.
“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.”
She added that the issue is nuanced, noting, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people who decide to do it.”
However, for Moafi, the request felt like pressure to alter her identity in order to succeed.
“It felt like they needed me to be someone different in order to work or to sell something,” she explained. “I refused.”
Despite the initial pushback, Moafi said her decision did not hinder her career trajectory.
“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,” she said.
In The Pitt Season 2, Moafi takes on the role of Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, an attending physician who steps in to replace Noah Wyle’s character, Dr. Michael Robinavitch, while he is on sabbatical.
Her previous television credits include The Deuce, The L Word: Generation Q and Black Bird, reflecting what she described as a diverse and evolving career.
Source: Variety