Yara Shahidi represents as Tinker Bell in 'Peter Pan,' teases post-grad and Met Gala plans

Thanks to her parents, Yara Shahidi says she grew up with many examples of onscreen representation.

"I have not seen 'The Wizard of Oz,' I have only seen 'The Wiz,' just to give you a taste of the household I grew up in," says Shahidi, comparing the classic 1939 movie starring Judy Garland with the 1978 musical remake starring Diana Ross.  

The 23-year-old actress credits her family with creating an "alternate curriculum" for her and her younger brothers, who grew up with "a very Black and brown fairy tale" world. She says her parents sought out content to ensure their children saw actors who looked like them.

"You really kind of had to search for that material," she says. "It wasn't widespread."

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Shahidi, who categorizes Disney representation as "pre- and post- 'Princess and the Frog,' " is adding more diverse source material as she suits up as a mostly nonverbal Tinker Bell in the Disney+ live-action remake of "Peter Pan & Wendy" (streaming Friday).

"As a young Black actress, to be able to play a fairy and to immerse myself in this world is really special,” she says. “Not many other opportunities come where you get to play seriously in the world of fantasy.”

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The 2023 "Peter Pan," directed by David Lowery, comes 70 years after Disney's animated version of the film, which cemented Tinker Bell in the fantasy zeitgeist as a blond-haired, blue-eyed fairy.

Shahidi, who is Black and Iranian, is giving the iconic fairy tale character a different vibe with a curly bun, just a month before her former "Grown-ish" co-star Halle Bailey takes on what Shahidi calls a "parallel journey" as the titular character of "The Little Mermaid."

“Pretty recently, we were able to sit together” while promoting the two movies, says Shahidi, who like Bailey was born in 2000. “We've been able to exchange messages of support.

“What's really special is that we're absolutely carrying on a legacy of Black and brown princesses. For it to be two big major Disney projects … is really cool."

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'Peter Pan & Wendy' made Shahidi 'emotional' after watching

The Gen Z actress doesn't recall her first interaction with the story of "Peter Pan," considering it was a story she "just kind of grew up knowing," but she does remember her early affinity for all things folklore.

In second grade, "my show-and-tell item was the real Grimms' fairy-tale stories, with the not-so-pleasant endings," she recalls. "I've always loved fairy tales."

Fast-forward to stepping inside a fairy tale for her role. Shahidi says the movie made her "emotional," as its themes of fear around growing up became real for her as she finished her undergraduate degree at Harvard University.

"I was emotional watching the film the first time because that idea of feeling anxiety (about) the responsibility of adulthood is something I'm familiar with," she says.

Will Yara Shahidi go to the Met Gala?

When she graduated from the Ivy League school last May, Shahidi's breakout role as Zoey in Kenya Barris' "Black-ish" series had ended just a month before. "Grown-ish," the spinoff she stars in and produces, centers on her character's college and post-grad experience. The first part of the show's final season airs this summer.

"To be walking into a year where 'Grown-ish' is coming to a close, where I've graduated – there was definitely a bit of fear because of just how much is possible," Shahidi says.

The actress and her mom have launched their own production company, 7th Sun Productions, and without school, she has free time to chase hobbies and interests including playing the glockenspiel. She calls it her "outside year."

Is she going to Monday's Met Gala? (Shahidi attended the exclusive event in 2019 and 2021.)

"You may just have to pay attention to who shows up on the stairs," she quips.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yara Shahidi's Tinker Bell is 'cool' first in 'Peter Pan and Wendy'