Top 5 Things to Know About Yara Shahidi: Star of Grown-ish
This lady has a bright future ahead of her. At only 17, she's already a Harvard student, has her own show and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Here are top 5 facts about Yara Shahid! Did you know that her first film role was with Eddie Murphy? Nine-year-old Yara plays Murphy's primary costar, with the story focusing on the relationship between a father and his young daughter. The film didn't do well, but Shahidi was on her way to bigger things. Did you know that she's related to Nas and that she's half Iranian?
#5: “Black-ish” Was Her Breakout Series
Yara Shahidi really made a name for herself playing the shallow, yet lovable, Zoey Johnson on the hit ABC series, “Black-ish”. During her years on the show, her character finished high school; and instead of using one of the many tropes that writers employ to keep college-bound students on TV shows, they decided to write Shahidi her very own spin-off series, “Grown-ish,” which follows Zoey on her adventures at university. While she will still make the occasional appearance on “Black-ish”, this new show is her main gig now.
#4: Her First Film Role Was With Eddie Murphy
After her family moved to California for her dad’s work as a photographer, when she was four years old, she quickly started her career in the entertainment industry. At only six, she began working in print and TV advertising for The Gap, Target, McDonald’s and many more big name companies. She eventually got a prominent role when she was cast alongside Eddie Murphy in the 2009 comedy film “Imagine That”. Nine-year-old Yara plays Murphy’s primary costar, with the story focusing on the relationship between a father and his young daughter. The film didn’t do well, but Shahidi was on her way to bigger things.
#3: Fame Runs in Her Family
Yara’s brother, Sayeed, who is two years younger than she is, also works in the industry, having appeared on shows like “Uncle Buck” and “Switched at Birth”. He even acted alongside his big sister on an episode of “Black-ish”. There’s also a lesser-known connection here, because guess who is related to these siblings? Hip hop artist and rapper Nas! In a 2015 interview, Yara said that until she was 10, she didn’t even realize her cousin was famous. It was only after mentioning his name to people that she figured out just how many people loved his music.
#2: She Goes to Harvard
So we already know she’s got acting chops, but it turns out that this young star is actually also pretty smart...okay really smart. Just as her character in “Grown-ish” is off to college, Yara is similarly going to start at a new school later in 2018. Maybe you’ve heard of it: it’s called Harvard. After getting a letter of recommendation from none other than former first lady Michelle Obama, she got accepted to the prestigious Ivy League institution. She told Jimmy Kimmel that she plans to do a double major in Sociology and African-American Studies. Impressive!
#1: She’s a Proud Feminist and Activist
Although still essentially a teenager at age 17, Yara Shahidi has already done her part in bringing attention to the issues that matter to her. With a wisdom seemingly beyond her years, she has spoken out about being a young woman of color and about issues facing girls today. Shahidi also joined forces with the #likeagirl campaign created by Procter & Gamble’s feminine care brand Always, which makes films, ads and videos to empower young people to think differently about gender stereotypes. We can’t wait to see what other causes she takes up as she becomes even more . .. “grown-ish”!
