Zoe Saldana said she was told to adopt a stage name by her manager, around the time she worked in teen drama Center Stage.
In conversation with Entertainment Weekly, The Adam’s Project actor said that she got the advice because changing one’s name was a trend back then.
“When I did Center Stage, I remember being discouraged by my management at that time to use my name,” the 43-year-old stated.
She went on saying, “But their intention was never for me to stop being who I am. They celebrated who I was.”
“But my manager at the time was a former singer and a ballroom performer, and she did change her name as well when she was a teenager back in the ’60s, I believe.” Zoe continued. “And she said it’s what everybody does.”
However, the actor mentioned that she liked her name back then and did not want to change it.
“That, today, is advice that we consider poor but that was her doing the best that she wanted for me.” She concluded. “But I still knew that I liked my name.”
