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Yara Shahidi. Photo by GabboT.

Top 10 Facts About Yara Shahidi

Shahidi, who was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2000 to an African-American mother and an Iranian father, began her acting career at the age of six, starring in a number of commercials for well-known brands.

At the age of nine, she appeared in her first film, ‘Imagine That,’ alongside Eddie Murphy. Her acting abilities were fully developed during her time on the hit US television show ‘Black-ish,’ which features an affluent black family and whose scriptwriters do not shy away from addressing issues of racial inequality.

Because Shahidi’s performance in Black-ish was so strong, producers decided to give her own spin-off show, ‘Grown-ish,’ which follows Zoey Johnson as she navigates college life and the familiar challenges that come with growing up.

Shahidi uses her fame and celebrity as a platform to improve the lives of young people. She founded Eighteen x 18 to encourage young people to vote in the 2018 midterm elections in the United States. She went on to work with the New York Young Women’s Leadership Network (Y.W.L.N), which offers online mentoring in an effort to end poverty through education. Shahidi has spoken out on a variety of issues, including race, feminism, and political activism.

Shahidi’s activism is intersectional and inclusive, as she states: “To be a girl is to be a universe of sorts.”  It continues as she maintains close ties with non-governmental organizations such as Girls for Gender Equity and the Third Wave Fund.

1. Farsi was Yara’s first language 

Yara Shahidi. GabboT.

Yara Shahidi is up for the challenge of speaking multiple languages. Despite the fact that she speaks English in movies and TV shows, English is not her first language.

Farsi was actually the first language she learned as a child. Her ability to learn multiple languages demonstrates her talent and versatility. It is difficult to learn a second language, but she made the effort to learn English alongside her native Farsi.

According to her mother Keri, her daughter’s first name, Yara, means “someone close to your heart” in Farsi. Shahidi is a common Muslim surname in Iran that means “witness”.

2. Her acting career began at 6 years old

Yara Shahidi. Photo by Tony Shek.

When she was six years old, Shahidi began her career in television commercials and print advertisements for companies such as McDonald’s, Ralph Lauren, Target, GapKids, Disney, Guess Kids, and The Children’s Place. She frequently collaborated on print and broadcast campaigns with her mother and younger brother.

Shahidi made her film debut in 2009, co-starring with Eddie Murphy in Paramount Pictures’ Imagine That, for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for best performance in a feature film.

She also played a next-door neighbour in Angelina Jolie’s 2010 action film Salt. In 2012, she portrayed Chloe Johnson, President William Johnson’s daughter, in the television series The First Family.

3. She was accepted into every college she applied to

Although she has deferred her first year at Harvard to pursue her acting career, Harvard isn’t the only Ivy League school where she has been accepted. She hasn’t revealed all the colleges she considered attending, but she told Seventeen in 2017 that she was accepted to every one of them.

4. Shahidi comes from creative roots

Yara Shahidi. Photo by Tony Shek.

Sayeed and Ehsan Shahidi, her younger brothers, are also actors who have appeared in shows such as “The First Family,” “Uncle Buck,” “Switched at Birth,” “Black-ish,” and “The People v. OJ Simpson: An American Crime Story.”

Her father, Afshin Shahidi, is a cinematographer best known as a photographer for Prince. Her mother, Keri Shahidi, is also an actress who has appeared on “American Dad!,” “In the Motherhood,” and other shows.

5. Her mother is her biggest inspiration

Yara is fortunate to have her “momager,” Kerry Shahidi, guiding her through an industry in which she has experience, and she appears to be her mother’s biggest fan.

She revealed that she has been learning more and more about the extraordinary achievements of the women in her family. Her parents’ commitment to people, science, community, and politics was inspiring, but her mother was her first role model. She showed Yara how to be a black woman.

6. She loves Marvel Cinematic Universe

Logo for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Photo by Disney.

Back in 2016, the then-16-year-old told W Magazine that playing a superhero was one of her dream roles. Although many of today’s actors and actresses may share this sentiment, Shahidi’s reasoning is that she is a huge comic book fan.

She is obsessed with Marvel and the comic books they have represented over the years.

7. Shahidi has a black belt in karate

Black belt. Photo by CUHRIG.

Yara Shahidi, like Ariel Winter, has a black belt in karate. Karate is a unique sport to learn because it requires such discipline, dedication, and precise technique. Not everyone has the patience required to achieve the rank of black belt in karate.

Yara Shahidi’s decision to obtain a black belt in karate corresponds to the fact that self-defence is so important in this day and age. Knowing how to defend oneself against a criminal attack is valuable knowledge.

8. Nas is Yara Shahidi’s cousin 

Nas is one of the most profound and articulate rappers alive today. He is frequently compared to Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. What these rappers have in common is that their songs contain profound messages. They don’t always release party music; they also release music with a deeper meaning.

Surprisingly, Nas is actually Yara Shahidi’s cousin! Because he is on a higher level in the rap industry than other rappers in his genre, talent truly runs in her blood.

9. Michelle Obama wrote her a recommendation letter

Imagine receiving a recommendation letter from Michelle Obama! Yara Shahidi is a young starlet who can brag about having a letter of recommendation from Michelle Obama written in her name. The former First Lady wields enormous power.

Many people care about her opinions and points of view. She is extremely intelligent and concerned about the well-being of society. She wrote Yara Shahidi a letter of recommendation, demonstrating that she sees a lot of potential in the young actress.

10. The 2016 elections sparked her interest in activism 

Yara Shahidi’s activism was influenced by the 2016 election. She became much more outspoken as she realized the importance of using her platform to express her beliefs to the world.

Not everyone has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and the fact that she does demonstrate that she has a voice that people want to hear. She says things that people want to hear, and as a result, she works hard in the world of activism.