Friday, March 29, 2024

Disney Casts Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell in Live-Action ‘Peter Pan’ Film

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*Yara Shahidi has been cast to portray Tinkerbell in Disney’s live-action “Peter Pan” flick.

Deadline reports that this marks the first time the beloved character has been played by a Black person or person of color. 

Helmed by David Lowery, Shahidi will be joining Jude Law, who will take on the role of Captain Hook, Alexander Molony and Ever Anderson who are playing title characters. 

The film is expected to debut in theaters. 

READ MORE: Barbie Rereleases Yara Shahidi’s ‘Shero’ Doll Ahead of 2020 Election

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In a 2016 Teen Vogue interview, Shahidi noted how she became “representation for myself” at a young age after she modeled for Mattel and Disney. 

“Some of my childhood modeling jobs were with Mattel and Disney, so I’d go into the Disney store and literally see me,” she told the publication. “My family was cleaning up the garage, and I found these life-size cutouts of 6-year-old me as the black Tinkerbell, black Cinderella, you name it, which is hilarious. But being the black version of so many characters brought up problems. I was happy to be black, but at the same time there were moments of, ‘Why is this a separate collection?’ There was this realization that being black meant I was the ‘off-brand’ version because Cinderella wasn’t made to look like me.”

News of her Tinkerbell casting coincides with the announcement that Mattel is relaunching Shahidi’s collectible Shero doll to educate young voters and encourage them to cast a ballot in the November election. 

As noted by PEOPLE, Shahidi’s doll wears a gray suit with a Tory Burch “vote” graphic tee underneath. The doll’s packaging has a QR code that links to voter registration resource WeVoteNext and comes with an “I Voted” sticker on her black leather backpack.

“I’m honored to be repping all the young ones as a Barbie Role Model,” Shahidi wrote on Instagram when the doll was initially revealed. “Let’s continue to inspire the next generation and each other. We need your voices and are watching you all Blossom and shine!”

Shahidi’s collectible doll “empowers the next generation of voters to stand up for what they believe in, emphasizes the importance of using one’s voice at every age, and shows young voters how they hold the power to help shape a better future,” a Barbie press release states.

The doll retails for $29.99 and is available for pre-sale on Amazon and barbie.com. The doll officially launches on Oct. 9. 

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