These celebrities changed their names before finding fame

In Hollywood a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet.

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When you rattle off a list of celebrity names from the top of your head it’s likely the words just roll smoothly off your tongue.

As though they’d been destined for stardom from the moment they were named, almost every A-List star has an aurally pleasant sounding moniker.

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Alas, it’s no coincidence Hollywood’s biggest and brightest all have names that sound like they belong on a red carpet.

A number of celebrities have opted for a stage name as a way of standing out while simultaneously fitting into the elite circle of stardom.

Perhaps their original name was dull, odd sounding or difficult to pronounce, whatever the reason it’s extremely common for celebs to change their names. In many cases celebs actually choose to be called by their middle names – Meghan Markle and Reese Witherspoon are prime examples.

Scroll on to see which stars made a swap to help their project them to stardom.