- [Narrator] At just 16 years old, Shahadi Wright Joseph
has an impressive list of accomplishments.
This young actress, singer and dancer
has impressed audiences on Broadway stages,
in iconic films, and on television screens.
And while her performances hugely take her center stage,
the spotlight is on Shahadi's love of fashion
and and commitment to self mastery.
All of these reasons make it clear,
Shahadi Wright Joseph is emerging excellence.
(upbeat music)
Shahadi Wright Joseph was born on April 29th, 2005
in Brooklyn, New York.
The blossoming star got her start
as a Fisher Price infant print model.
At two years old,
she began dance training with a Brooklyn dance studio
founded by her father.
This dance training would help launch the next part
of her journey, being a Broadway star.
Shahadi's first significant acting role, Nala,
in the Broadway adaptation of the "The Lion King"
had her on stage over 208 times
during her year long role.
Following "Lion King",
she stayed on Broadway to play Madison
in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical "School of Rock."
In 2016 at only nine,
Wright starred in the NBC musical television adaptation
of "Hairspray Live",
performing next to musical heavyweights,
Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson
without breaking a sweat.
In 2017, Disney announced Shahadi would reprise her role
as Nala in the 2019 remake of "The Lion King",
starring alongside Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Eric Andre, Keegan-Michael Key,
and of course, the queen, Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
For Shahadi, Nala is a role model,
whose fearlessness inspires young girls.
Shahadi told Refinery 29,
"Shooting 'Lion King' in LA was totally different,
because Jon Favreau gave us so much freedom
while playing young Nala."
Before Shahadi voiced Nala,
she terrified audiences
in Jordan Peele's 2019 horror hit, "Us",
as the dual role of Zora/Umbrae.
She read for the part three times
before getting her offer.
The fresh faced actress starred alongside Winston Duke,
Evan Alex, and her idol, Lupita Nyong'o.
The phrase, "Full circle"
has a special meaning for Shahadi.
At nine years old,
Shahadi recited Lupita's
2014 Academy Award acceptance speech
as a monologue for a school audition.
Shahadi told Pop Sugar about her love for Lupita,
"I feel like we have a good mother daughter relationship,
not even just on screen, but off set, as well.
I love her style,
so I think that I'll use some of her stuff in the future."
Shahadi's performance in "Us" was critically acclaimed,
gaining nominations from the Saturn Awards,
Critic's Choice Awards,
and the 2020 NAACP Image Awards.
At 15 years old,
Shahadi was named one of Forbes' 30 Under 30,
and it's clear why she's on the list.
She's told many publications she is a fan of horror,
so it only made sense that she starred
in the 2021 Amazon Prime video horror drama series, "Them",
executive produced by Lena Waithe.
She told the AV Club,
"When I first got the audition for 'Them',
I didn't have much of a description of it.
I just heard it's going to be a horror anthology
that's taking place in the Jim Crow era.
That itself was exciting to me
because I had never seen anything like it before."
Shahadi knows the value
of seeing dark skinned actors on screen.
She told TV Line, "Growing up, and I'm still young,
I never really saw myself on screen.
Not with this type of representation,
which is a shame,
but I'm glad that I represent others who look like me."
Shahadi continues to use her roles
to advocate for young black girls.
She also uses her social media
to support gender equality and racial justice.
In 2019, Shahadi released an R&B single called,
"Skin I'm In", to encourage young girls to love themselves
and the skin that they're in.
During the height of the pandemic,
Shahadi focused on writing and creating roles
that would help keep her idea of representation alive.
Shahadi's passion, beauty and drive
keep her focused on her next successful venture,
and the world can't wait to see what she does next.
(upbeat music)