United Kingdom, March 30 -- Joey Lawrence had to choose a "bland" name at the start of his career.

The 48-year-old actor was born Joseph Lawrence Mignogna III, but when he, along with his brothers Matthew and Andrew, began appearing on screen, they decided to drop their surname and simplify everything

Speaking live on stage as part of a 90s Con panel, he said: "It was my middle name. I was named after our dad and our grandfather on my dad's side. And then, in the early 80s, no one could pronounce Mignogna. That's not a name people will say. Today, things like that are celebrated. But in the 80s, it was like, 'We need to water this down.' The silent Gs. . They were like, 'We need to go with something a little more bland.' So they're like...