Why Does SAF-AFTRA Encourage Actors to Change Their Names?
"SAG-AFTRA urges all applicants and members to minimize any personal or individual risk of liability," according to the alternative name form
May 22 2024, Published 3:09 p.m. ET
There’s more than one name for Batman. Well, obviously, he has an alter ego. But we mean the guy playing Batman in the 1989 and 1992 Batman films has more than one name.
Michael Keaton wasn’t always Michael Keaton. Before he was The Dark Knight, Michael Keaton was Michael Douglas. Born with that name, Micheal Keaton decided to change his stage name to Michael Keaton since there was already an established actor named Michael Douglas (famous for way longer since his dad was a world famous actor) and a daytime television host Mike Douglas. So Michael Douglas became Michael Keaton. It seems that it worked out quite well for all Michaels.
SAG doesn't encourage actors to have the same name in order to avoid confusion.
SAG-AFTRA, the biggest union of media professionals, encourages its members to not use the same name as someone else whenever possible. On one of their new member forms, the "Alternate Professional Name Form," potential union members are given three alternative professional name options. Why three? “The possibility exists that we may not be able to enroll you with the professional name you wish to use.” Options. They want you to give them options.
The form also explains why it exists. The form reads, “It is SAG-AFTRA’s objective that no member uses a professional name which is the same as, or resembles so closely as to tend to be confused with, the name of any other member. SAG-AFTRA urges all applicants and members to minimize any personal or individual risk of liability by avoiding a name that may cause confusion. SAG-AFTRA shall not be responsible or legally liable in the event an applicant or member uses a professional name that may cause any confusion.”
Did you notice the word urge? The union can only urge a performer to use a different name if someone is already using the same name. They can’t enforce the name issue if an actor really wants to use their legal name.
You can use your legal name, even if someone else has it.
While Michael Keaton didn’t want to be confused with another guy who's the same race and relatively the same age, some folks just use their middle initial rather than change their first or last name. One of the most famous examples is Michael B. Jordan, the actor who didn’t want to be mistaken for basketball GOAT Michael Jordan. This obviously worked out for both of them, with Michael B. Jordan making a pretty good cameo in the recent Space Jam due to the name "confusion."
But sometimes there is genius confusion. Vanessa L. Williams and Vanessa Williams are different people. But if you search for "Vanessa Williams," you’ll most likely get Vanessa L. Williams, the former Miss America, singer, and actor who had a role in the movie Soul Food. The Vanessa Williams with the SAG name registered as Vanessa Williams is an actor who is two years younger than the beauty queen, singer, and actor. This Vanessa Williams had a role in the TV show Soul Food.
Maybe that SAG urging different names should be more of a rule than a suggestion. If I were Vanessa Williams I might be a little bit upset people keep mistaking me for Vanessa L. Williams.