Yara Shahidi Describes Having Her Own Tinker Bell Doll As 'So Special'

Yara Shahidi is opening up about all the perks that came with her Tinker Bell role and what it means to her. 

The renowned actress, best known for her starring role on hit TV shows like Black-ish (2014–2022) and its spin-off series Grown-ish (2018-present), recently dished on her present show coming to an end this summer with its sixth season, and what it's like having her own Tinker Bell doll.

On April 25, the 23-year-old entertainer excitedly conversed with ET’s spokesperson at the premiere of her new film and expressed her appreciation for the six years she was privileged to play Zoey Johnson on the sitcom. “I mean, we hit 100 episodes. Shows don't get to do that anymore." She added:

“So, I think it's bitter, but primarily sweet, because we got to tell a lot of story, and I've gotten to be a lot of Zoey over the past six years."

Aside from Grown-ish, Shahidi also touched on her role as Tinker Bell in the upcoming Peter Pan remake “Peter Pan & Wendy.” She mentioned that Julia Roberts and Josephine Baker helped her nail her Tinker Bell performance but mostly drew her inspiration from the latter. In her words:

"We have Julia Roberts, we have so many incredible folks. I think inspiration that may be surprising, is that we looked at Josephine Baker performances, because she has so many where she's using her features and not saying anything."

Shahidi continued, "And so when we were trying to figure out what Tink's facial features were and movements were gonna be, it was a lot of silent movies and Josephine Baker."

The activist’s latest Disney role earned her the right to have a doll made in her likeness, and she was more than happy to gush about it. She replied when asked how it feels to have a toy made after her. "So special." She then said:

“I didn't remember until we were just driving around for press today, that one of my first dolls was an Alvin Ailey ballerina. And I remember just how cool it was to have a doll that looked like me, have a doll that looked like my family, in this beautiful dress."

Unsurprisingly, the NAACP Image Award winner isn't the only one excited about her new role, as many fans rallied around Shahidi on Twitter when Disney released the “Peter Pan and Wendy” trailer in February.

One fan wrote, “TINKERBELL MY LOVE #PeterPanAndWendy.” Another wrote, “yara shahidi as Tinkerbell! she’s soo cute 🧚🏾‍♀️✨.” A particular internet user, who admitted that Black History Month was ending on a great note, opened, “My Little Mermaid is BLACK! My Tinkerbell is BLACK! My Queen Charlotte is BLACK! Now that’s how you finish Black History Month, baby!”

Another fan mentioned Tiger Lilly and Tinkerbell, writing, “Can we talk about how beautiful they are?? Tinkerbell and Tiger Lily, my girls are STUNNING !! #PeterPan #Tinkerbell #TigerLily #PeterPanAndWendy.”

Aside from an incredible 2023, the sensational actress also had a memorable past year as a college graduate. Last May, The Blast reported on how the “Imagine That” actress celebrated her graduation from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on social media.

Following her graduation on May 26, 2022, the TV star blessed millions of Instagram followers with two snapshots from the memorable day. In it, she modeled a gorgeous custom-made Dior two-piece suit. 

The first slide showed the black Hollywood sensation giving the camera a stunning smile while wearing a black graduation cap on her shoulder-length curls. It captured her view from head to shoulders and elucidated her natural beauty via her chic makeup. In the photo, she posed in front of the University’s flag.

Shahidi gave fans a good view of her Dior suit in the second snap. The outfit consisted of a white collared shirt, a red suit jacket designed with six black buttons, and a matching mini-red skirt.

Completing the sophisticated look, the “grown-ish” star donned an oversized graduation gown. In the heartwarming caption, the college graduate wrote, “Yara (noun): a Harvard graduate. #ITSOFFICIAL #CLASSOF2022 📸: @paulmardyphotography.”