Malala Yousafzai's acting debut, from an activist to a screen star

“I hope that we get to hear more stories of people from Gaza, from Afghanistan,” said the Nobel Prize winner.

Malala Yousafzai is now a screen star as well. 

Malala Yousafzai, 26, activist, made her acting debut in the newest season of the British sitcom ‘We Are Lady Parts’ with a short but glorious cameo.

The season 2 episode is called ‘Malala Made Me Do It,’ starring Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Lucie Shorthouse and Faith Omole. The country song is titled after the episode.

In the fantasy sequence with the tune in the background, Yousafzai emerges from the shadows wearing Western and Pakistani-inspired attire, sitting atop a fake horse.

Although Yousafzai has previously collaborated with Apple for a multiyear programming deal in 2021, her foray into on-screen performance came as a surprise even to herself.

The youngest Nobel Prize laureate told Vogue that she  “never expected to be in a show.”

“I’m finally showing my hidden talent,” she added.

As per the New York Times interview with showrunner Nida Manzoor, the director, wrote Yousafzai a letter inviting her onto the show. 

When Manzoor detailed the idea for Yousafzai’s appearance to her, Yousafzai confessed to Vogue she was “clueless.”

“I was like, ‘What will it look like? Do I have dialogue? How many times do I have to do it? How long will it take?’” the Nobel Peace Prize winner said to NYT. 

“When I saw the set on the day of filming, it was completely beyond my wildest imagination. And the funny thing was, I didn’t have lines, so it made things a lot easier,” the Pakistani education activist continued. 

Yousafzai commended the series for its portrayal of uplifting narratives involving Muslim girls, noting that it enables viewers “to connect with them and relate to them.” She highlighted that “humanizing people is so important,” particularly in today’s time.

“Oftentimes, when we look at conflicts, wars, oppression against people, it always begins with dehumanizing another group,” she said. “I hope that we get to hear more stories of people from Gaza, from Afghanistan, and from other parts of the world, and that we use all that we have in our capacity, in public and in private, to do all we can to be a voice for the people in Gaza,” said Yousafzai. 

‘We Are Lady Parts’ dropped its second season on May 30 and is streaming on Peacock.