It appears that we've all been mispronouncing Justin Theroux's last name (including Justin himself!), according to his uncle and author Paul Theroux.
The novelist, whose 1981 book The Mosquito Coast is being adapted for television by Apple TV+ and stars his nephew, recently discussed his family's surname. The 49-year-old star also opened up about his role in the series since he not only plays the lead, but he has a direct connection to the story.
"The Mosquito Coast was written by my Uncle Paul, who I am the middle namesake of him, Justin Paul Theroux," the actor said in a video clip for the streaming service on Tuesday, April 27.
The author echoed the same sentiments as The Leftovers star. However, he pronounced his last name slightly different from his nephew.
"The main character is played by Justin Theroux, my nephew," Paul shared, proudly saying his surname as "tha-roo."
"Sometimes he calls himself Justin 'tha-row' [laughs]," the writer added, poking fun at his family member. "It's a French name, it's Theroux."
Of course, this isn't the first time someone's fumbled a Hollywood star's name.
From Chrissy Teigen to Ariana Grande, check out the proper way to pronounce the monikers of your favorite celebrities in our gallery below!
Travis Kelce (Pronounced: Kels)
Travis and brother Jason Kelce debated on their New Heights podcast whether to go by "Kel-see" or "Kels," with Travis deciding to do the latter.
Speaking with E! News in February 2022, Taylor revealed the first syllable of his last name rhymes with "out" instead of being pronounced as "lot."
After much speculation surrounding her moniker, the model set the record straight in a TikTok shared by Tory Burch, where she provided "the Polish way" to say it. She has also introduced herself by pronouncing her last name "Rat-Ah-Cow-Skee."
While Raven-Symoné's character could see the future on That's So Raven, fans likely didn't see this coming. The actress revealed in a January 2023 TikTok that her name has been mispronounced for years and is actually pronounced See-mon-ye.
Brendan Fraser (Pronounced: Fray-zer)
After Adam Sandler accidentally mispronounced the Oscar winner's last name during a December 2022 interview for Variety's Actors on Actors series, the George of the Jungle star swung in with a trick that can help fans remember how to say the moniker correctly: Fraser rhymes with razor.
During a Q&A in October 2022, the powerhouse singer praised a fan for "perfectly" pronouncing her name as "uh-dale" when asking a question.
For her introductory video shared to TikTok in February 2022, Lindsay Lohan inadvertently set the record straight on how to correctly pronounce her last name, which is "Lo-wen."
The Clueless actress set the record straight on how to pronounce her name on TikTok. Alicia said she's not bothered if fans don't get it right, noting, "But my sweet mama didn't like it... so for her... get it right! Ali-SEE-yuh."
"My name is Kesha. Keh-sha," the singer said on TikTok. "Not Keisha. Not Ketchup. Kesha."
The Leftovers actor's uncle revealed in an interview with Apple TV+ that we've all been pronouncing "Theroux" incorrectly, including Justin himself!
"The main character is played by Justin Theroux, my nephew," Paul Theroux explained of the actor starring in his novel's television adaptation. The novelist later poked fun at his nephew, saying, "Sometimes he calls himself Justin tha-row [laughs]. It's a French name, it's Theroux."
The pop star dropped jaws in 2018 after she explained the correct way to say her last name. When speaking about her engagement to Pete Davidson at the time, Ariana discussed whether or not she'd take his last name in an interview with Beats 1's Ebro Darden. That's when she blurted out the "gran-dee" pronunciation when describing her own last name.
The Cravings cookbook author blew everyone's mind when she shared the real way to say her last name. During an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2018, the model admitted it was her "fault" for the mispronunciation. "It's been 25 years, I'm tired of correcting people," she expressed.
The lasso of truth! The Wonder Woman actress chatted with Jimmy Kimmel about the pronunciation (guh-dote) and the meaning of her last name, which is "Riverbank" in Hebrew. "The Gadot used to be Greenstein," she confessed of her original last name, but her parents "felt" it had more oomph.
Prepare to be mind blown. During an appearance on Conan in 2012, the actor shared the "only two places that that is pronounced correctly, my last name, is in Sweden and in Ikea."
The star has openly discussed just how frequently people screw up his name. However, in 2011, he told The Hollywood Reporter he'd never change it because he was named after his step-grandfather, who pronounced it in the same way.
According to the legendary singer's IMDb page, her stage name is pronounced shar-day.
In 2014, the Fargo alum confirmed his last name is pronounced boo-sem-ee during a panel for Running Late with Scott Rogowsky. However, he said he doesn't "correct people" if they say boo-shh-em-me because "it's not wrong."
In 2014, the Oscar winner told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that her last name is always botched. "They screw it up," she quipped. "I almost want to make an audiotape on how to pronounce my name."
Anya Taylor Joy (Pronounced: Anne-Ya)
Check(mate) your pronounciation of the Queen's Gambit star, who says her name like anne-ya—and not awn-ya.
The Mean Girls alum has us all feeling like Karen because she revealed in 2012 during an interview with Hollywood Streams that the correct pronunciation of her last name is sigh-frid. Although, she admitted that her "sister says it differently" than she does.