Yara Shahidi Gets Real About Her Upcoming Role As Tinkerbell: ‘Telling a Story That Feels Reflective of the Times’

The Harvard graduate is best known for her almost decade long appearance on ‘Black-ish’ and ‘Grown-ish’

Yara Shahidi.Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Yara Shahidi had no trouble deciding whether or not she wanted to take on the role of Tinkerbell in the upcoming Disney+ live-action film Peter Pan & Wendy. The 23-year-old actress, who is best known for her almost-decade worth of time on Black-ish and the ABC show’s spin-off Grown-ish, opened up to People about what it means to play the fan-favorite fairy, and how she’s dealt with racist internet trolls.

“Tinker Bell was just a no-brainer,” she explained effortlessly. “It’s such an iconic part. The character has a long lineage of really incredible actresses playing her. I think [Julia Roberts’ portrayal in 1991’s Hook] is one of the first Tinker Bells that kind of strays from what we imagine as the animated version. It was fun to look back and watch the OG movie and her performance.” 

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Before signing on to the film, which releases on the streaming platform on April 28, the Black Iranian-American actress asked director David Lowery: “What do we want to accomplish with this remake of something that’s been done and is so beloved?”

The response was nuanced, but Shahidi’s goal has always been clear to her.

“I think what really spoke to me is the fact that the entire Disney team was committed to doing more than just swapping out ethnicities,” she said, “It’s about telling a story that feels reflective of the times that we’re in. I think every change was extremely intentional.”

The Minneapolis native admitted that she doesn’t use Twitter, which to most might be seen as a marketing and publicity disadvantage. But for Shahidi, who received backlash—that echoes the same prejudiced statements Halle Berry (The Little Mermaid) faced—as soon as she was announced as Tinkerbell, it’s actually been a fortunate decision. 

She graduated from Harvard in May 2022 and though she experienced extreme amounts of classic college life FOMO, while flying cross-country from Massachusetts to Los Angeles, she wouldn’t change a thing.

“I think it was such a necessary balance to my life,” she added about completing her degree. “The idea of having an acting world and an academic world—one gave the other meaning. To be able to say, ‘I’m studying Black political thought under Neocolonialism,’ and embrace how specific that is, allowed me to look at my work with new ways to find meaning in it.”

Congratulations to Yara Shahidi on graduating from Harvard University 💕 pic.twitter.com/F8X8Q5Oiy5

— MEFeater Magazine (@mefeater) May 27, 2022

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