We can’t get enough of Yara Shahidi.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 18-year-old actress goes in-depth about what it’s like to be an actress, activist, and soon-to-be Harvard freshman.
In just a few weeks, Yara will begin filming season 2 of Grown-ish all while starting her first college classes (did we mention she’s going to Harvard?).
Even with all that, Yara has found time to launch Eighteen x 18’s first national summit — a voter registration event — which will take place next month in Los Angeles.
“My passion really stemmed from having gone through the 2016 election, where myself and many of my peers were unable to vote,” she says. “A lot ?of them went with their parents to the polls, but there was that feeling of being lost. Like, ‘What can we do to contribute to our sociopolitical landscape?'”
Yara also talks about the importance of education, her podcast plans, and how she manages to balance it all.
Check out a few excerpts from the ‘diary’ portion of her interview below:
What she reads
“I asked her to start reading fiction that was new for 2018,” says Shahidi’s mom. The 18-year-old is a self-proclaimed James Baldwin mega-fan and calls his Giovanni’s Room her favorite book. Other recent favorites include Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Jesmyn Ward’s “beautifully written” Sing Unburied Sing.
What she listens to
Shahidi famously told her CAA agents that her ?dream was to “live at NPR.” In the meantime, she settles for listening to NPR podcasts, including Code Switch and Planet Money. She’s also a fan of Crooked Media’s lineup (Pod Save the People, Crooked Conversations), and soon will have a podcast ?of her own featuring her interviews.
What she dances to
The self-described “music-head” spends whatever free time she can find going to concerts. Her favorite album right now: Blonde, by Frank Ocean. Shahidi’s current playlist also includes new music from other favorites like Tyler, the Creator; Tobi Lou; and Taylor Bennett.
What she watches
Growing up, Shahidi was allowed to watch only one hour of TV per week. Now, at 18, she rarely consumes that much. The last series she cops to bingeing was The Great British Baking Show. She’s been known to zone out to detective series, too, with Criminal Minds high on her list.
You can read the rest of what Yara’s had to say here.
