Lost Star Refuses to Bow to Hollywood Pressure  9/1/06

Adewale Akinnuoye-Adbaje refuses to conform to Hollywood's demands to change his Nigerian name to something easier to pronounce, insisting it would be "sacrilege".

Buddhist Adewale, who plays drug-dealing priest Mr Eko in the American hit series Lost, says his name means - 'the crown has arrived', 'warrior', 'prosperity and wealth'.

The London-born actor says, "I'm of Nigerian descent, from the Yoruba tribe.

Names are very significant in that culture. It basically states your purpose in life. Every day when someone calls my name, they remind me of that purpose and to denounce that would be sacrilege.

"The name caused me a lot of scrapes growing up. Having come this far, I wasn't going to abandon it for Hollywood. People are getting used to it. They abbreviate it to triple A.

"Ade is 'the crown', Wale means to arrive', so that means the crown has arrived'. Akin is 'warrior' and Agbaje is 'prosperity and wealth'."