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## Having a Name in Lights: What it’s Like When Your Name is Also a Film Title
I recently had a rather surreal experience. My name appeared in the opening credits of *The Testament of Ann Lee*, a film I wrote. It was actually good, and that my name wouldn’t forever be associated with a turkey. For every *Inside Llewyn Davis*, *Erin Brockovich*, and *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, there’s a *John Carter* or *Gigli* not far behind.
During the Q&A, I couldn’t help but gaze at my name plastered across the screen behind the cast and crew in giant letters, the name I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. It was hard not to get a kick out of seeing that same name now celebrated on such a large scale. Even though the film is about someone else, the name still belongs to me.
I imagine there aren’t many Donnie Darkos,Ferris Buellers or Forrest Gumps in the world but what about all the Charlie Wilsons,Michael Claytons or Sarah Marshalls out there? Were they as excited as I was to have their name featured in a film title? Or were they teased about it? Does having the name Bridget Jones mean navigating a lifetime of jokes about big knickers,your diary-writing skills,and whether you’re team Darcy or team Cleaver?
One person who shared what it was like to share their name with a film was John Wick, a businessman from Wisconsin who died in 2023. His grandson, screenwriter Derek Kolstad, had named the fictional dog-loving hitman played by Keanu Reeves in the *John Wick* film series after his grandfather. Wick told Wisconsin Life in 2023 that “it’s been a lot of fun” having a franchise named after him, but that he never watched any of the films as he was hard of hearing.
Actor Michael Jordan recently opened up to Jesse Plemons, in one of Variety’s Actors on Actors videos, about what it was like growing up with the same name as Michael Jordan, the basketball superstar. “Your name is important.It’s how you introduce yourself … and how the world responds to you,” he saeid. “But when there’s another guy out there who’s the guy, I think it created a healthy chip [on my shoulder]. Of wanting to be competitive … Wanting your own identity in a way … I wanted to be great at something, and I didn’t know what it was going to be … I just wanted to be great at it.”
Will sharing a name with Lee, “the first American feminist”, as Mona Fastvold described her to the New
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