Oona Chaplin, Game of Thrones and Avatar: Fire and Ash Star, Wanted to Drop Her Surname? Here’s WHY!

Avatar: Fire and Ash star Oona Chalin has been creating a buzz for quite some time. Her phenomenal performance as Varang, the leader of the Ash People, in the sci-fi film has been appreciated by movie fanatics worldwide. But what garnered attention was the fact that she is the granddaughter of the iconic actor-comedian Charlie Chaplin. Due to a long family legacy, the 39-year-old actress had to deal with nepotism remarks, making her drop her surname. However, Oona stepped back from doing so. Here’s why!

Oona Chaplin Family Legacy

Oona Chaplin can’t help but see the similarities between director James Cameron and her grandfather, Charlie Chaplin. 🥹💙 pic.twitter.com/aeXB2q4ZDz — Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) December 19, 2025

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Oona Chaplin was born nine years after Charlie Chaplin’s demise in 1977. She is the daughter of Geraldine Chaplin, the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, and the Chilean cinematographer Patricio Castilla. She is not only the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin but also the great-granddaughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.

The ‘Chaplin’ surname put her straight under the spotlight of nepotism. In an interview with the Sunday Times, she revealed that she sometimes found her surname “undeserving”. The celebrity stated, “I know that doors have opened for me that potentially wouldn’t have opened if I weren’t associated with this brilliant man. It’s definitely tricky to feel undeserving of the place you’re in.”

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), Oona planned to remove her surname. Fortunately, her outlook was shifted, and she ruled out the plan. In the interview, Oona revealed, “I changed my mindset from guilt to gratitude by working really hard and knowing that whatever I do is never going to compare to what my grandfather did.” 

The Hollywood diva now feels proud and content with holding her last name. Moreover, she admitted to remaining unaffected by remarks on nepotism. In this realm, if her purpose is for people to hear people say, “Oh, Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter”, allowing them to browse about him and watch one of his movies, then she will feel ecstatic.