Okay pop culture fans lets talk about Kat Dennings. You know her from 2 Broke Girls the Marvel universe and just generally being awesome. But did you know Kat Dennings isn't actually her real name ? Turns out there's a story behind it and it's pretty interesting. Plus she recently opened up about some seriously tough times early in her career. Let's dive in!
Katherine Victoria Litwack No More: Kat Dennings Reveals the Hilarious Reason Behind Her Stage Name Choice
During a recent podcast interview on Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce Kat dropped a little bomb about her name . Turns out "Kat Dennings" is a stage name she picked out herself way back when she was just a kid! Her birth name? Katherine Victoria Litwack.
Yeah you read that right Litwack. Kat joked that when she was only nine years old she knew Litwack just wasn't going to cut it for Hollywood. She told Kylie Kelce "My real last name is Litwack — that’s all you need to hear. And at 9 I was like 'This isn’t going to work for me. This is not going to work.'" Can you blame her? "Kat Dennings" definitely has a better ring to it for a star.
She even playfully called her nine-year-old self a "CEO" for making such a smart branding decision so early on. According to Kat she thought "This can’t be displayed on a poster." She knew what she wanted and went for it.
From Casper to a French Connection: The Fun and Quirky Inspiration Behind "Kat Dennings"
So where did "Dennings" and "Kat" come from? For her last name Kat got inspiration from a friend of her mom's named Lloyd Alexander who wrote fantasy books. His wife's name was Janine Denni and Kat thought "Denni" sounded cool and French. She tweaked it slightly to "Dennings" and boom new last name!
As for her first name "Kat" that was inspired by Christina Ricci's character Kat in the movie Casper. Kat Dennings said Kat from Casper was her "favorite character at the time" and she thought "Okay Kat Dennings this is it. I can really picture it." Pretty simple and pretty clever right? Who knew Casper and her mom's friend's wife played such a big role in creating the name we all know and love.
Child Star Struggles: Kat Dennings Recalls Harsh Casting Director Comments and Early Career Challenges
Choosing a stage name was just one part of Kat's journey to Hollywood. She also shared some eye-opening stories about how tough it was starting out as a child actor. Back in January 2025 Kat spoke about the harsh criticism she faced as a young performer. She told People magazine that casting directors were incredibly blunt and negative.
She recalled being called "fat" and "not pretty enough" at auditions when she was only 12 and 14 years old. Can you imagine hearing that as a kid? Kat said "The time that I was auditioning and starting to act it was a very different environment than it is now. There was not a lot of inclusivity at all. It was very harsh. There was a lot of extremely negative feedback and people would not hold back."
It's shocking to think about how casually people in the industry would make such hurtful comments especially to children. Kat herself said "It was pretty crazy thinking about it. I'm like 'How can anyone say that about a little kid? This is insane.'" She remembers her manager calling after auditions and saying things like "Well they thought you weren't pretty enough and you're fat." Just awful.
Unbreakable Spirit: How Kat Dennings Overcame Criticism and Kept Her Hollywood Dream Alive
Despite facing such negativity at a young age Kat Dennings didn't let it crush her. She admitted "For some reason it didn't break my spirit." Instead of giving up she used the criticism as fuel. She said she thought "I'll show them." Talk about resilience! She credits her parents for being supportive and telling her not to listen to the harsh comments.
Kat feels like things are different in Hollywood now with more body positivity inclusivity and representation. She described the industry back then as "completely insane" and "really gross" compared to the "much softer" and "kinder" environment today. It is definitely thanks to people like Kat who persevered through those tough times and spoke out that the industry is slowly changing for the better.
Kat Dennings: From Katherine Litwack to Hollywood Star - Key Moments in Her Journey
- Age 9: Katherine Victoria Litwack decides "Kat Dennings" will be her stage name.
- Inspiration for "Kat": Christina Ricci's character in the movie Casper.
- Inspiration for "Dennings": Janine Denni wife of author Lloyd Alexander.
- Early Career Challenges: Faces harsh criticism from casting directors about her appearance as a child actress.
- Perseverance: Maintains a strong mindset and continues to pursue acting despite negativity.
- Breakthrough Roles: Lands significant roles including in Sex and the City and later 2 Broke Girls.
- Hollywood Success: Becomes a successful actress known for her talent humor and unique persona.
From "Hideous" to Headliner: Kat Dennings Proves Real Talent Wins
So next time you see Kat Dennings on screen remember her real name Katherine Victoria Litwack and the journey she took to become the star she is today. She faced harsh criticism early on she changed her name to something she felt fit her better and she never gave up on her dream. Kat's story is a great reminder that talent and determination can overcome even the toughest obstacles in Hollywood and that sometimes a little bit of self-branding at age nine can go a long way.