First Black Tinker Bell Yara Shahidi reveals how Julia Roberts' Hook performance inspired her
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Peter Pan & Wendy star Yara Shahidi — who's about to make history as the first Black Tinker Bell on the big screen — has revealed how Julia Roberts' portrayal of the iconic character in Hook sprinkled some inspirational pixie dust on her performance.
The Grown-ish actress appears in the upcoming David Lowery-directed production as the famed fairy who accompanies Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and Wendy (Ever Anderson, daughter of Milla Jovovich) on their journey through Neverland and subsequent clashes with Captain Hook (Jude Law). Shahidi recently told PEOPLE that she looked to past portrayals of the part before creating her own version.
"Tinker Bell was just a no-brainer," she told the publication. "It's such an iconic part. The character has a long lineage of really incredible actresses playing her."
She referenced Roberts' take on the character in Steven Spielberg's 1991 epic also starring Robin Williams as Peter Pan and Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook.
Disney; Everett Collection Yara Shahidi in 'Peter Pan & Wendy' and Julia Roberts in 'Hook'
"I think she 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," Shahidi said of Roberts.
She also noted that she wanted to inhabit the role because "the entire Disney team was so committed to doing more than just swapping out ethnicities" when it came to casting, referencing Tinker Bell's past iterations in major movies — all of which, whether animated or live-action, have been depicted as white.
"It's about telling a story that feels reflective of the times that we're in. I think every change was extremely intentional," she continued.
The 23-year-old recalled filming the movie as well, indicating that she "literally went between Spanish, Farsi, gibberish and a ton of other things" for her speaking parts, which were eventually dubbed over with tiny bell sounds.
Still, she said, "there's a pressure to always make a statement. While I can argue that there's something really powerful about having a Black Tinker Bell, I think this job reminded me how much I enjoy the creativity of what I do, the playfulness and that feeling of growing up."
Peter Pan & Wendy debuts April 28 on Disney+.
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