Another Live-Action Disney Newcomer Speaks Out on the Racist Backlash Being Faced

With the casting of Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell in upcoming live-action Disney remake Peter Pan & Wendy, some of the reactions were once again pretty revolting, if not completely expected (sad as that may be). With Shahidi taking on the role of a character previously presented as white, a vocal minority are not happy, but the actress believes that she has also seen the beautiful responses she has received since her casting.

Shahidi’s fellow Grown-ish co-star Halle Bailey recently went through the exact same thing when she was cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, with many saying that Ariel couldn’t be Black, despite being a completely mythical creature – go figure. The same is happening once again with Shahidi taking on the role of Pan’s mischievous and often jealous fairy companion.

Having already seen her friend go through it, Shahidi knew what to expect, but has chosen to focus on all the good her playing Tinkerbell will do. She says that though there has been a backlash to her casting, overall the response has been positive, telling The Hollywood Reporter that “what’s been beautiful is seeing the response to both of our characters and seeing how many people feel included in this fairy tale, while also maintaining the magic that we love in the first place.”

She fully supports Bailey playing the iconic mermaid songstress as well, saying she is “so excited to watch Halle onscreen – if there’s anybody that is a princess just in real life, in the world, it’s Halle,” and that her casting “made so much…