Overview
- Speaking on the Richer Lives by SoFi podcast, Milian said casting directors blocked her from auditions when she used her birth name, Christina Flores.
- She described being rejected for Latina roles because of her skin tone and for Black roles because of her Hispanic surname.
- After brainstorming with family, she adopted her mother’s surname, Milian, then resubmitted the same headshots and immediately began getting callbacks and TV bookings.
- Public credits reflect the shift, with a 1996 Sister, Sister appearance as Christina Flores and a 1997 Smart Guy role as Christina Milian.
- Milian called the move a business decision, said she is not proud it was necessary, believes she wouldn’t need it today, and coverage ties her experience to Hollywood’s long-standing name-change pressures and narrow casting categories.