Her stage name is the result of a vicious custody battle between her parents. When A Little Princess (1995) was released she was supposed to be listed with her real last name, Pritzker-Bagley (she added the name Bagley after her mother remarried). However, her father insisted that she be listed as simply Liesel Pritzker and threatened to keep her from being in the film if his request was not honored. She took the last name Matthews after her brother Matthew's name.