Malala Yousafzai Makes Her Acting Debut with Cowgirl Cameo in “We Are Lady Parts”: 'Finally Showing My Hidden Talent'
The Nobel Peace Prize winner appeared in episode 2 of the British sitcom's second season, backed by the original song "Malala Made Me Do It"
Malala Yousafzai can add “screen star” to her long list of titles.
The 26-year-old activist made her acting debut in the newest season of the British sitcom We Are Lady Parts with a brief but glorious cameo. In season 2’s “Malala Made Me Do It,” the cast — starring Anjana Vasan, Sarah Kameela Impey, Juliette Motamed, Lucie Shorthouse and Faith Omole — break out into a country song titled after the episode. During the fantasy sequence accompanying the tune, Yousafzai emerges from the shadows dressed in Western and Pakistani-inspired garb, sitting atop a fake horse.
While Yousafzai has worked behind the scenes in the entertainment sector, partnering with Apple for a multiyear programming deal in 2021, she told Vogue she “never expected to be in a show” herself.
“I’m finally showing my hidden talent,” she quipped.
Related: Newlywed Malala Yousafzai Says Husband Changed Her Stance on Marriage: 'I Found a Best Friend'
According to a New York Times interview with showrunner Nida Manzoor, the 34-year-old director wrote Yousafzai a letter inviting her onto the show. When Manzoor detailed the idea for Yousafzai’s appearance to her, the I Am Malala author admitted 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 the outlet. “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.”
Yousafzai praised the series for uplifting stories of Muslim girls, allowing viewers “to connect with them and relate to them” — particularly in a time when she believes “humanizing people is so important.”
“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.”
We Are Lady Parts follows a punk-rock band of Muslim women searching for their big break. As the band — consisting of Amina (Vasan), Saira (Impey), Ayesha (Motamed), Momtaz (Shorthouse) and Bisma (Omole) — navigate friendships, relationships and cultural differences, they pen new tracks that are featured in a musical segment every episode.
The critically acclaimed series has nabbed five BAFTA nominations and two Gotham Award nods for its first season. The six-episode second installment dropped in its entirety on Peacock on May 30.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
We Are Lady Parts is streaming in full on Peacock.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.