There's no doubt about it: Yara Shahidi is unstoppable.
A Harvard graduate – her university application came complete with a letter of endorsement from Michelle Obama herself – and political advocate, Yara Shaidi, 23, has been acting since she was six and started speaking out on issues that affect her generation, and the rest of the world, in her teen years.
“At sixteen years old, I think I interviewed every candidate running for president or something. But you may have to factcheck me on that,” she laughingly explains to GLAMOUR.
Her latest accolade is her performance as Tinkerbell in David Lowery's Disney live remake, Peter Pan & Wendy. Not only is she the first Black actor to play Tink, but she's part of a new, empowering take on the story. The film also weaves in subtle themes of how the fairy finds her voice, while tying in the theme of the importance of female solidarity. It's got all the charm of the original, with a firm focus on the future.
This is no surprise – Yara Shahidi has made it her business to explore empowerment and social issues throughout her career. She sat down with GLAMOUR for the latest episode of GLAMOUR Unfiltered to discuss what inspires her, how she feels about representation in Disney films and the self care lessons she's learned along the way.
What drew you to Tinkerbell as a character?
It was such a no brainer. How do you say no to that? The updates to the story were so exciting – David [Lowery] wrote such a compelling story that felt like it was playing on the Tinkerbell and the Peter Pan and Wendy that we know and love while adding dimensions that we hadn't seen before. It felt like if we're gonna do a remake, this is a really cool one to be a part of.
What was it like working with Jude Law as Captain Hook?
It was great. But we also haven't met yet! It's funny because playing a fairy that's so small means that I was shooting on a separate set. But what an incredible Hook to work opposite, it was really fun to watch his scenes and everything he brought to this character that was thoroughly creepy, but you also thoroughly root for him.
A big theme for Tinkerbell is her not being heard – what was that like to play, and how have you experienced finding your own voice?
I loved the way that was excavated because in prior stories Tinkerbell has always struggled with being heard. She definitely came off as like a sassy sidekick. So I liked how David took what was already there and really centred it in this new way of saying ‘well, what does it feel like for this characters arc to really be struggling with being heard and Wendy being somebody that sees her almost immediately, and learns to hear her in this way that Peter Pan hasn't even heard her yet?’
That was really cool and absolutely resonant I think for anyone, not only in their 20s but in every stage of life. I feel like I'm constantly fine-tuning, and figuring out the best way to communicate so that what I need at the end of the day is being met.
You're the first Black actor to play Tinkerbell. How does that feel?
It's surreal. While I was filming, it was such an isolated process that I didn't necessarily think of, or remember the scale of this project. It took me seeing the movie to be like, this is massive. It was seeing people sign up to get the doll for their nieces and their cousins that really made it dawn on me how big of a deal this was – and the fact that there's a generation of kids where they'll know that they're included in this fairytale.
What impact do you hope this has on younger generations who are going to grow up with this, this version?
I hope the impact is to continue to dream big. I think fairytales are some of the first stories that we’re ever introduced to as kids. It's how I grew up, reading Brothers Grimm fairytales, and Hans Christian Andersen. But in order to balance the fact that I wasn't necessarily included in those fairy tales, my family had to look globally.
So I had African folklore and indigenous folklore that I grew up on. And so to take a fairytale that is as prominent as Peter Pan, and give it a world that looks like the world that we live in today, hopefully means that we're validating people's fantasy lives, because I think that's necessary, especially as a kid.
When you felt you weren't represented in mainstream films as a child, where did you turn to?
There was a show called Happily Ever After Fairy Tales For Every Child, and the entire premise was giving cultural background to these otherwise well-known fairy tales. And so that's what I grew up on, because I wasn't represented, it was really about turning intentionally to very specific media that did that job. I saw The Wiz before I saw the Wizard of Oz. I saw Brandy's Cinderella first.
And so I had these touchpoints, but it took a high level of curation intentionality from my parents to be able to build that world. I think that's a privilege, it's not a given for so many kids.
It’s an exciting time for Disney, alongside yourself as Tink we’re going to see Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. What kind of impact do you hope these castings have on future films and generations?
Well first of all, I couldn't think of anyone better than Halle [to play Ariel]. Of course, I would argue that diversity and inclusion is important in every story, but I think particularly for fantasy worlds. I think oftentimes, the first step that we take, and the first spaces where you see brown and black folks is in spaces of discussing historical traumas. And [these fantasy] stories are absolutely essential to be telling and necessary to centre.
The first spaces where you see brown and black folks is in spaces of discussing historical traumas
As a young kid, you deserve light hearted, you deserve absolutely, totally indulgent stories about flying, about growing up, about being able to imagine yourself as a mermaid and a princess. And so I think there's something about allowing there to be diversity, and inclusion in stories about childhood that are really necessary.
Absolutely, it empowers a whole new generation. What is empowering to you?
I think anybody being unabashedly themselves. When I think about the people that inspire me, I take a lot of inspiration from musicians, just because as an actor, you're playing somebody else whereas as a musician, you're just yourself 100%. When I think of people like Frank Ocean, there's a certain vulnerability to committing to be yourself. You take on certain pressures when you’re publicly being yourself on such a large platform.
And seeing people that continue to do that, it's a reminder to myself to embrace who I am, because sometimes there's this urge to make the neatest version of yourself, versus the most honest.
Over and over you’ve demonstrated a passion for politics and advocacy – what causes and communities do you aim to give a voice to with your platform?
Well, I think the reason I resonated with campaigning around voting was that I was selfishly aware I didn't have to actually choose what I wanted to prioritise because every issue is on the ballot, and every issue comes up when we vote. And so it was a way in which I could be in a community and in conversation with organisers from every area, whether it's about racial equality, gender equality, environmental issues, anything in between.
How helpful is social media for you? Do you feel you need to put boundaries in place to protect yourself?
I think, on the one hand, it's been an educator for myself and so many people, especially in being able to tell stories and communicate stories that otherwise I wouldn't have had access to. But at the same time, there’s a sense of obligation to share everything I care about, otherwise people won't think I care about it. I think this was subconscious, there was this urge. It's this almost anxiety that was created. So there was a moment, I think, especially during the pandemic, where I look at my page, and I'm like, ‘it looks like I'm running a news page, like I might as well be the admin for CNN’s Instagram!'.
I realised was I wasn't giving myself space as a 20-something- year- old, to just experience the emotions and figure out what the work was. I think there was such an urgency, I [felt that I] had to be able to put something out immediately to share how I feel and share exactly what there was to be done. But we kept running into these crazy instances that none of us had experienced before where I was like, 'I'm so far from having an answer about how to address this. I'm so far from even knowing where to start'.
That that was really, I think, what encouraged me to figure out what that balance was between what goes on social media and what work has to happen offline.
As you navigate the showbiz industry, what steps are super important to you when it comes to taking care of your mental health?
It's hard to do in practice, I think all of us run into those moments. In theory, I think there's a checklist like: Therapy? Yes. Supplements? Yes. Sunscreen? Yes. But it's much harder when you're trying to integrate that into your life on a daily basis. I'm constantly figuring that out. I used to have to justify any moment I took for myself. If I could convince myself out of doing anything for myself, then [I'd think that] I don't really need to do that. Because at the end of the day, who is that benefiting? It's not benefiting my work. It's not benefiting this or that.
And so I think for me, self care has been realising that I don't need a reason to do something for myself. And I usually have to take that reminder from the people around me, because I'm not always great at putting that into practice.
So for me, I love live music – it may sound so silly, but that's the one thing for me, going to a concert past my bedtime when I know I have to be up early is a practice and being like, ‘I know this is gonna fill me up’. It's all about trying to prioritise experiences.
Self care has been realising that I don't need a reason to do something for myself.
Can you relate to the “not wanting to grow up” theme of the film?
Absolutely. I mean, 23 is definitely treating me well. But I think the reason it has is because I've kind of gone back to being like, ‘well, what made me happy as a kid. And how do I go back to that place?’ I think I definitely carried this idea of what adulthood looked like and how serious it had to be.
Having graduated, school has been my anchor for years. I always knew that the next year was defined by the school year. So to be in this phase of life where I'm like, I've graduated from school, my television show [Grown-ish] has just come to an end, all the things that have been such a consistent in my life, adulthood gets a little nerve wracking. I'm like: ‘what's next?’ But I think going back to that kind of childhood centring of ‘okay, well, where can I find adventures’ has made it much more exciting.
Your roles, past and present, have political and social issues at core. Take Black-ish – which touches on race, sexuality, and police brutality and more – and upcoming Extrapolations, which tackles climate change. Are these choices deliberate?
Yes and no. I think yes, in that it's what I naturally gravitate towards. I think all of the stories that have impacted me have had some sort of message and meaning. But I think what also connects them all is that they're really creatively strong. Because I think first and foremost, as an actor, the goal is to dip your toe into such a compelling story that whatever is being communicated, there's a real impact.
Which is why I think Peter Pan and Wendy for me fits with Black-ish and Extrapolations because being able to play any character where you show any sort of range in humanity, I think, ultimately, you're making some sort of statement. I think it starts with people first. I think that the people that I work with care about the worlds, so we end up making projects that care about the world.
And you also get to work with your mum, right? You guys set up a production company together so that you could tell your own stories.
Yes! We're business partners, which is beautiful… She's been my role model in so many ways, so it works. We're so aligned on what we want to make in the world and to be able to do it together is special.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Peter Pan & Wendy is available to watch on Disney+ now.
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