Yara Shahidi has spoken out about her role as the first Black Tinker Bell in Disney’s new film Peter Pan & Wendy.
On April 28, Disney+ published its newest rendition of the Peter Pan narrative, a live-action adaptation of the animation classic starring Alexander Moloney and Ever Gabo Anderson.
The live-action film is about “Wendy Darling, a young girl afraid to leave her childhood home behind, who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up” according to the official synopsis.
“Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever,” the synopsis adds.
Watch the Peter Pan and Wendy trailer below:
The 23-year-old actress, best known for her roles in Black-ish and Grown-ish, was announced to play the popular fairy at the end of last year, causing quite a stir on social media.
However, in her most recent interview with People magazine, Yara Shahidi says she is ignoring the negativity and focusing on the impact her role could have on young Black children.
“While I can argue that there’s something really powerful about having a Black Tinker Bell, to be able to have a role where the job was fantasy was really an escape as an actor. … It reminded me how much I enjoy the creativity of my job,” she said.
When the Harvard graduate was granted the opportunity to take on the role, she asked herself an important question, which was: “What do we want to accomplish with this remake of something that’s been done and is so beloved?”
“The entire Disney team was committed to doing more than just swapping out ethnicities,” she continued. “It’s about telling a story that feels reflective of the times that we’re in.”
The Sun Is Also a Star actor told the outlet that her interpretation of Tinker Bell is significant and pure fun, saying, “My take on Tinker Bell nods towards the classic feistiness that we love about her, that kind of overly expressive nature.”
Yara Shahidi remembers needing to practice 180 distinct facial expressions to assist in developing the character’s precious, nearly mute aspect. Yara Shahidi also stated that she thought it was “cool” to film her sequences separately from the rest of the cast.
“I’m so used to being on a set, like the Grown-ish set, which has staircases and rooms and beds. For this, I was just on a set in Burbank and had to try to recreate that kind of immersive experience and literally fantasize the world around me,” Yara Shahidi said.
Yara Shahidi
The young actress noted that the role’s appeal was its inventiveness and creativity, as Black and Brown actors are sometimes boxed in “serious” films.
“I think being Black and Brown actors, oftentimes our worlds and our work worlds are so serious,” she expressed. “There can be a pressure to always be making a statement in everything you do.”
Peter Pan & Wendy is streaming now on Disney+.
