Malala Yousafzai, the 26-year-old activist, made her debut as a screen star in the latest season of the British sitcom We Are Lady Parts, featuring a brief yet memorable cameo.
In the season 2 episode titled ‘Malala Made Me Do It,’ alongside cast members Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Lucie Shorthouse, and Faith Omole, Yousafzai appears in a fantasy sequence set to a country song of the same title.
Emerging from the shadows clad in a blend of Western and Pakistani-inspired attire, Yousafzai is seated atop a fake horse while the tune plays in the background. Although Yousafzai had previously partnered with Apple for a multiyear programming deal in 2021, her venture into on-screen performance was a pleasant surprise, even to herself.
Speaking to Vogue, she expressed, “I never expected to be in a show,” adding, “I’m finally showing my hidden talent.”
According to an interview with showrunner Nida Manzoor in The New York Times, Yousafzai was initially unsure about the idea but was eventually impressed by the set and the lack of dialogue required for her role.
Yousafzai praised ‘We Are Lady Parts’ for portraying uplifting narratives centered around Muslim girls, emphasizing the importance of humanizing people, especially today.
She remarked, “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.”
The second season of ‘We Are Lady Parts’ premiered on May 30 and is available for streaming on Peacock.
