‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Star Yara Shahidi Responds To Criticism Of Disney’s Continued Race-Swapping: “People Think Of Diversity And Inclusion As Threatening Or Jeopardizing The Quality Of The Story Instead Of Seeing How Beautifully They Can Be Interwoven”

Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell in Disney's live-action PETER PAN & WENDY, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell in Disney's live-action PETER PAN & WENDY, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

According to actress Yara Shahidi, audiences are growing ever more vocal in their rejection of Disney’s penchant for race-swapping not because they’re tired of the company’s transparent efforts at virtue signaling, but rather because they are unaware of how such ‘diversity and inclusion’ efforts “can be interwoven together to create something that impacts even more people”.

Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi) watches on as the Darling children take flight in Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), Disney

Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi) watches on as the Darling children take flight in Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), Disney

RELATED: Disney Debuts Race-Swapped Tinkerbell, Introduces Female Members Of The Lost Boys In First Trailer For ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Live-Action Remake

Shahidi, who is currently set to appear as a race-swapped version of the pixie Tinkerbell in Disney Plus’ upcoming Peter Pan & Wendy live-action remake, offered her thoughts on the growing cultural cynicism towards identity politics during a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter.

Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi) takes a rest in Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), Disney

Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi) takes a rest in Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), Disney

Speaking with the entertainment news outlet on March 14th while attending the red carpet premiere of her new Apple TV+ series Extrapolations, the actress first broached the topic of race-swapping after being asked for her thoughts on Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid cash grab.

“I’m so excited to watch Halle onscreen — if there’s anybody that is a princess just in real life, in the world, it’s Halle,” said Sahidi before further opining that the singer’s casting as the red-headed mermaid “made so much sense”.

Ariel (Halle Bailey) plays with a puffer fish in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

Ariel (Halle Bailey) plays with a puffer fish in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

RELATED: Disney’s Live-Action ‘The Little Mermaid’ Star Halle Bailey Dismisses Backlash Against The Film As Purely Racist: “As A Black Person, You Just Expect It”

Turning to the widely poor reception both her and Halle’s respective race-swappings had amongst fans, Shaidi not only agreed with the outlet’s framing that this response was purely based in racism – Hollywood’s favorite piece of disingenuous rhetoric for heading off criticism of their poor output – but also doubled down on the supposed social ‘importance’ of Disney’s latest casting trend.

“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 placed,” said the Grown-ish star.

Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s live-action THE LITTLE MERMAID. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“I think oftentimes people think of diversity and inclusion as threatening or jeopardizing the quality of the story, instead of seeing how beautifully they can be interwoven together to create something that impacts even more people, that lets even more people into stories that we love,” she added.

Notably, Shahidi is not the first of the two Disney actresses to throw their support behind the ‘all critics are racist’ narrative.

Ariel (Halle Bailey) takes notice of a naval battle happening above the surface in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

Ariel (Halle Bailey) takes notice of a naval battle happening above the surface in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

Reflecting on the public’s noted and widespread rejection of The Little Mermaid‘s first teaser trailer – a response largely fueled by the terrible quality of the film’s visuals and Disney’s decision to once again play into identity politics by race-swapping one of their classic characters rather than the presence of a black person specifically – during a February interview with the fashion magazine The Face, Bailey asserted, “I know people are like: ​It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her…”

Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) moves in to kiss Ariel (Halle Bailey) in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) moves in to kiss Ariel (Halle Bailey) in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

“People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves,” said the singer-slash-actress. “As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore.”

Peter Pan & Wendy dives exclusively onto Disney Plus on April 28th, while The Little Mermaid flounders into theaters on May 26th.

A scene still from Disney's live-action PETER PAN & WENDY, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A scene still from Disney’s live-action PETER PAN & WENDY, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

NEXT: Disney Plus Hong Kong Removes Episode Of ‘The Simpsons’ Over References To “Forced Labour Camps” In China

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