Michael Keaton is one of many famous actors who changed his name for professional reasons. Why does that SAG rule exist?
Long before the idea of being a ‘personal brand’ entered the mainstream, professional actors have relied on name recognition to build their careers.
People assign labels to other humans to help organize and personalize everyday life. Recent studies even show that we are not the only species on this planet to do so. Marmoset monkeys, bottlenose dolphins, and African elephants act in a similar manner. Things get hairy, though, when names are similar.