Nine year-old Yara Shahidi stars in Imagine That, the Eddie Murphy flick that hits theaters Friday, June 12. She stopped by the J-14 offices to talk about her character, Olivia, her chats with Eddie, her fave karaoke songs, and more!
J-14: Can you describe your character Olivia?
Yara: I liked Olivia because she's quirky like me! The only really big difference would be age-wise and sassiness -- she's a little sassy.
J-14: What was your fave part about working on Imagine That?
Yara: My favorite part would be working with Mr. Eddie because he's a really funny, nice guy. We would talk a lot, but 99% of the time, I would be talking to him about my history class that day because I'm a history addict.
J-14: What else do you like to study?
Yara: I like to study math -- that's my second favorite subject. I like math because it helps you around in life! I like taking the make your own sandwich menus and calculating how many sandwiches you can make! I calculated once, and it was like 3500 sandwiches!
J-14: What was your favorite imaginary scene from the movie?
Yara: The pancake scene, because Mr. Eddie gives me these little burnt pancakes when we're making the pancakes, and I get to put condiments on them. I put mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, and chocolate syrup on his pancakes!
J-14: You get to sing a Beatles song in this movie! Do you have a favorite karaoke song?
Yara: We had a karaoke party for my birthday! I sang "Hot and Cold" by Katy Perry and Beyoncé's "If I Were A Boy."
Photo: Courtesy of Bruce McBroom/Paramount
