‘The Pitt’ Star Sepideh Moafi Says First Agent Told Her to Change Her Name to Get Roles

“The Pitt” star Sepideh Moafi was asked to change her name by her first agent, she told People in an interview published Sunday. “When I graduated from grad school, my first agent wanted me to change my name and I immediately said, f–k no,” she revealed.

Moafi added, “I know actors who have changed their names and there’s no judgment there. And I know a lot of actors, specifically people of color, who have been expected to change their name and haven’t.”

She also described the decision to change one’s name is personal and “complicated.” Moafi continued, “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people who decide to do it.”

For Moafi, the decision was easy.

“It felt like they needed me to be someone different in order to work or to sell something. I refused,” she said. “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.”

Ultimately, she also said, “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.”

Moafi plays Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi on the hit series. Her character after has conflict with Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch on the show, a dynamic she said is often mirrored in real life between male and female coworkers.

“That moment is so relatable for any woman in any field in positions, and particularly in positions of power,” she explained. “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. We have this patriarchal lens and some women think they need to maintain these rather patriarchal norms to uphold and exist within the system.”

Read the interview with Sepideh Moafi at People.

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