Naomi Scott attends the Power Rangers film premiere in Los Angeles. Rex
After auditioning more than 2,000 actors worldwide, Disney has officially found its Aladdin, Genie, and Jasmine for its live-action adaptation of Aladdin, which will be directed by Guy Ritchie. The House of Mouse revealed the three cast members during Disney’s D23 Expo in California on Saturday: Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud will play Aladdin and Will Smith will step in as Genie. As for the role we’ve all been anticipating: Naomi Scott will be starring as Princess Jasmine. While the 24-year-old may be a newcomer, she is a star on the rise. Her CV includes a leading role as Kimberly Hart (aka the pink Power Ranger) in the 2017 Power Rangers reboot as well as a part in science-fiction TV series Terra Nova.
Here, five facts about Aladdin’s new princess you need to know:
1. Scott is also a musician. She has released two EP’s, Invisible Division (2014) and Promises (2016), both of which were written and produced at her parent’s home studio in East London. The 24-year-old musician said to W Magazine in an interview in February: “As an artist, I would like to be around for a long time. You have to be very purposeful and very strategic with decisions that you make in the music industry.” She’s currently working on her third project, which is yet to be titled.
2. During the auditions for the role of Princess Jasmine, the studio was keen to cast someone in their 20s of Middle Eastern or Indian descent. Scott was born in London to a British father and a Gujarati Indian mother. In 2016, she celebrated her Indian roots in an Instagram photo posted to her 227 000 followers, sporting traditional Indian jewelry.
3. This won’t be the actor’s first dalliance with Disney. Scott starred as Mohini “Mo” Banjaree in the Disney Channel original movie Lemonade Mouth, which premiered in 2011. The teen musical film tells the story of five high school students who meet in detention and go on to form a band. Scott’s character is a shy and intelligent bass player. Additionally, her first major acting role was on the Disney Channel UK series Life Bites.
4. Asides from being an actor and musician, the 24-year-old is a fashion enthusiast. She favors British labels such as Victoria Beckham, Stella McCartney, Burberry, and J.W. Anderson.
5. Scott is married to English footballer Jordan Spence, who plays for Ipswich Town. The couple got married in 2014, after four years of dating, in their hometown of London in an intimate ceremony surrounded by family and friends. The couple met at the same church where she was scouted by a London-based music manager as a teenager while performing a cover of Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You.”
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