Maggie Q changed her name as it was too Irish

Actress Maggie Q recently sat down with Emmy magazine revealing the reason behind the unique abbreviation of her last name - it was too Irish! The Nikita star, who is of Polish, Irish, and Vietnamese descent, began her career as a model in Asia where her surname was abbreviated from Quigley to just Q as it was too hard to pronounce.

Ms Q explained that “people [in Asia] couldn’t pronounce my last name because it was too Irish. So the Apple Daily, the biggest newspaper in China printed a story and referred to me as Maggie Q. Every other newspaper and magazine followed, and that was it.”

The moniker seems to be working in Maggie’s favor as she is currently the highest profiled Asian actress to star in a broadcast drama series, adding that she is most excited to have opened the doors for others in her position.