American actress Yara Shahidi has been signed for the role Tinkerbell in Disney’s upcoming Peter Pan film. The project is currently titled “Peter Pan and Wendy.”
The live-action adventure will see Sherlock Holmes actor Jude Law in an antagonist role of Captain Hooks. It will be the fourth remake of animated classics done by Disney in the recent past. “Peter Pan and Wendy” will join the list of “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” and “Mulan.”
The casting will also satisfy the critics as well as vocal advocates of diversity movements.
Yara Shahidi is a young woman (20), but she already has a resume that speaks in favor of her ten years of work. She had entered the mainstream industry at the age of 7 when she did a role in the TV series “Entourage.” She also holds the pedigree of having an experience of working alongside industry’s biggest names which are Samuel L Jackson, Angelina Jolie, and Eddie Murphy.
However, her breakthrough role came to her in 2013 when she was cast as Zoey Johnson in American sitcom Black-ish. She played the daughter of Andre and Rainbow (played by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross respectively). She remained the main character of the show for the first three seasons.
As the name suggests, apart from being a comedy show, Black-ish also gave a commentary on the recurring racial and class injustice in America. The show being an instant hit also saw Yara Shahidi winning the Golden Globe in 2017 for the best comedy actress.
The critical and pecuniary success had reached the pinnacle of its popularity by the end of Season 3, and ABC ultimately had to order a spin-off “Grown-ish” which specifically explored the character, Zoey Johnson. Shahidi stars in the spin-off and periodically appears in Black-ish.
Yara Shahidi also has a passion for politics and has been involved in it ever since she inaugurated the Eighteen x 18 organization which encourages young people to be more engaged in political activities around the country and help bring a change. She is also currently campaigning with her organization to encourage more young people to vote on election day.
Not surprisingly, she recently came out in full support of the recent uproar of Black Lives Matter. She also had previously donated to a fund started by NFL player Colin Kaepernick who is famous for kneeling during a national anthem in order to turn people’s attention towards brutality against people of color.
Impressed by her political efforts, Oprah Winfrey once enthused that she is hoping that she lives long enough so that she can see Yara Shahidi become the president of the United States. Michelle Obama also bestowed her with a letter of recommendation to Harvard.
Expounding her political philosophy, Shahidi once said that she owes her career to the Black activists who put their careers in line so that future generations do not suffer in a way that they suffered.
She will be the first black actress to play the legendary role of Tinkerbell in a Peter Pan film. The classical story of Peter Pan deals with a fictitious boy who never grows up.
The role of Tinkerbell has always been given to a white woman in previous iterations of Peter Pan story. The likes of Julia Roberts and Ludivine Sagnier have already played this role.
The demand for diversity in Hollywood films and TV series have intensified ever since the uproar of Black Lives Matter gripped the sentiments of the country. Actress Halle Bailey will also be seen in the personification of Ariel in another Disney live-action revamp of the Little Mermaid.
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