As you may know, 18 year old Black-ish and Grown-ish star, Yara Shahidi, is about to hit the big screen again in the film adaptation of best selling novel ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’. Shahidi will play the character of Natasha Kingsley, a teenage Jamaican girl, who falls in love 12 hours before her family is due to be deported.
The film is due to hit screens in Summer 2019…. Here are eight fun facts about Yara for while you wait!
View this post on InstagramReminiscing about sunshine on this gloomy Sunday ☀️
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She’s an Ivy League princess… Born 10 February 2000, Shahidi will be attending Harvard University after the help of a recommendation letter by none other than Michelle Obama! She will be double majoring in Social Studies and African American studies.
She’s an eager activist… Following in the footsteps of her maternal Black Panther grandfather, Yara is involved in ‘eighteen x 18’ a programme which focuses on increasing voter turnout in the US general elections. She has also actively spoken up against Donald Trump’s travel ban.
Her style is inspired by those closest to her… Shahidi informed Glamour magazine that both her mother and Iranian father, alongside her siblings hold an influence over how she dresses, but she also loves Kerry Washington’s look. Speaking about her mother, Keri Shahidi, Yara said: ‘She and I dress very similarly. There are a lot of times when I’m in her closet and she’s in mine.’
She loves to listen to podcasts… her favourites being ‘Pod Save America’ (Crooked Media), ‘Revisionists History’ (sponsored by Chanel), and ‘The Nod’ (Gimlet media).
An early starter… Yara’s career begun when she was only 6 years old, being in ads for Mcdonald’s, Ralph Lauren, Guess (to name a few). This was followed by her debut role in 2009 ‘Imagine that,’ where she starred alongside renowned Eddie Murphy.
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Fame runs in the family… Her mother, Keri, is also an actress known for her role as Michelle Obama in ‘Family Guy’ and Alexis in ‘In The Motherhood.’ Her father, Afshin Shahidi, spent nearly two decades working as Prince’s official photographer. Her cousin is also the famous rapper Nas!
A sly savage… Yara is now a black belt in karate, after spending 7 years studying the sport.
Yara loves reading comics! She has said that her dream is to one day meet Iron Man actor, Robert Downey Jr.
Words by Liv Dennis
