Melanie Thandiwe Newton, formerly known professionally as “Thandie” Newton and now as Thandiwe Newton, is an English actress.
Newton has appeared in a large number of popular films and series, including Mission: Impossible II (2000), The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), Crash (2004), The Pursuit of Happyness, (2006), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). She is best known for her role as Maeve Millay, the android brothel madam in Westworld (2016–2022).
In an interview with Business Insider Australia, Newton said that she chose her role in Westworld, despite being a women’s rights activist, for the challenge it presented, both as an actor and in portraying a highly sexualized character in Hollywood.
Newtons’s performance in Westworld earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, two Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and many more. She has also won two BAFTA Awards for her roles in Crash and Line of Duty (2012–2021).
In a 2008 interview with The Advocate, Newton discussed her sexual past.
I had my rite of passage. I was 16, and I wasn’t really in control of the situation, if you know what I mean. It was much more about a male fantasy of seeing two women together. But I loved the girl a lot; she was one of my closest friends. I think falling in love is actually more about falling in love with an individual. We’re all potentially bisexual; it all depends on your circle, your upbringing, and all kinds of things. Or maybe I’m just talking about myself. I could’ve easily fallen in love with a woman over a man.[1]