TV/Film credits: [characters name] as [actors name]???

[SidewinderINC]

I have a TV/Film credits question that I have tried to search for an answer for but I obviously am failing at searching :p

Often I see in credits it will say

[Actors name]...................[characters name] as [actors name]

a specific example I've seen recently is TJ Thyne who plays Dr Jack Hodgins in Bones: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475714/

If you look at his credit on imdb it says (as TJ Thyne) after his characters name.


What does this mean?

It's been bugging me and I just have to know :D

Ta muchly!

[Haly]

Means sometimes they're credited slightly different :)

For instance, when an actor is just starting out, they might not have fully decided what name they want to be known as.

Have a look at Charlie Sheen's page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000221/
Some entries are listed as Charles Sheen because that's how he shows up on the credits even though he's more commonly known as Charlie Sheen.

So really, it's just a variation! Also sometimes happens if they play a character under a pseudonym.

[SidewinderINC]

Thank you, Haly :D
Simple answer, but no search terms I've tried to use have given me a good answer.

I guess in my example it's because he's credited in the show as "TJ Thyne" rather than "T.J. Thyne"

another piece of info to add to the banks of things that have bugged me for no reason :)

[Haly]

No problems :D

I'm an IMDb addict ;D

[Psymonkee]

Another possible reason could be due to some weird backwards-ass thing I heard about on a Futurama commentary:

2 people making TV shows/Films and all that jazz can't have an identical screen name as it causes a certain level of confusion. You know the big screen the Planet Express ship crashes into at the end of the intro with Matt Groening/David X Cohen on it?

The 'X' was apparently added to avoid the above situation occurring - utterly random but maybe that's where it comes from too?

:D

HP Sauce: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_X._Cohen#Name_change (yeah I know wiki ain't all that reliable but there ya go! :D)

[Kitten]

That's an equity thing. ^^

[semi-pro waster]

That's an equity thing. ^^

For the same reason you've also famously got David Tennant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Tennant) rather than David MacDonald.

[Kitten]

And Michael Keaton who I think was actually called Michael Douglas.

Sent from my Galaxy S2

[A Place of Light]

Alan Smithee come on down.