Yara Shahidi plays Tinker Bell in the upcoming live-action retelling of a Disney classic, Peter Pan & Wendy. The sparkling yet sassy fairy has been a beloved character in the Disney realm for decades, and Shahidi felt that breathing new life into the character was a total blessing.
Fans might not initially know, however, that she did so in a realm unlike what most people experience when they go to work on a film or television set. In a recent chat with the D23 Podcast, Shahidi spoke about everything from her life growing up surrounded by fairytales, to playing such an iconic role without ever meeting her cast of co-stars until the film’s red-carpet premiere.
“Obviously, it was a little odd, but I’d have to say, you know, playing a role that requires so much imagination anyway — I ended up kind of getting into the flow of things because it meant that I couldn’t rely on, let’s say, my surroundings.”
Not being able to rely on her surroundings was both a learning curve, and a lesson in embracing her inner child again. She learned to commit to being Tinker Bell in a new way because she had to really dive into the realm of belief in the unreal.
“They built some beautiful sets, but since I was not on said beautiful sets, what I did end up enjoying was that I really had to immerse myself in my imagination and really get to set and believe that I was floating around, believe that I saw the people in front of me and pirates and ships…so I think, in a weird way, it made me further commit — kind of — to the character.”
The magic of Disney truly exists in the belief in the unreal; that some wishes and dreams do come true, if we have the tenacity to believe in them despite whatever else life throws our way. It’s part of the reason that so many adults keep a tight hold on magic, it’s why we revisit our favorite films and characters over and over — and Shahidi’s Tinker Bell is sure to carve out a special place in our hearts.
Shahidi says that she was taken back to her childhood and the times she shared with her brother often during filming.
“It took me back to being at the ages of four to seven when I spent most afternoons with my brother being like, ‘yeah, and we’re in Rome right now and you’re a gladiator and I’m a this,’ or like, we spent so many afternoons being people that we weren’t and being in places that we weren’t that it was kind of fun to return back to that.”
Of course, with promo and red-carpet events, Shahidi eventually met her cast, and she credits their hard work to her being able to pull off the role as magically as she did.
“I met them at the London premiere, but I do have to say it’s a testament to how much they gave on set because I don’t think I would have been able to perform had they not just been so, I think incredibly in their characters that it inspired me. I would get to watch their scenes before I would film, so I’d watch what they did, and really just work off of that.”
What was it like being an actress in a nonspeaking role? There are certainly parts and projects that require actors and actresses to bond with their characters even without words, and Shahidi spent a lot of time diving into those.
“It was about looking at people that have done the silent movies and people that perform,” she began, before speaking on the fact that she took a lot of references from the theater as she started her journey as our favorite Disney fairy, “I think there was a lot of like theater references and things like that because there is a history of you know, performers that are using words that aren’t even using songs to communicate.”
The hard work from Shahidi and the rest of the cast will soon be seen by Disney fans everywhere as Peter Pan & Wendy begins streaming on Disney Plus on April 28.