You might have seen her on screen, and yet not known it was her. For Arti Shah, that’s a superpower as well. Standing tall at four-feet, the 49-year-old actress broke a glass ceiling by winning the Best Actor in a Musical award, alongside James Hameed, for Paddington the Musical earlier this month. “I am still in shock. It is yet to sink in,” she admits, speaking with us over a Zoom call.
Arti Shah accepts the Best Actor award at the Olivier Awards in London. Pics Courtesy/@paddingtonthemusical
Shah shares those immigrant roots with Paddington. Her parents moved to Northampton from Kenya, where her grandfather migrated to from Jamnagar in Gujarat. “My father kept insisting on taking us back to Gujarat till his passing. I intend to make it happen for my son, and to introduce him to the food,” she says.
Excerpts from the interview
How has the celebration been after the Olivier Award?
It still has not sunk in yet. The story and the musical are so wonderful.
Particularly because Paddington is so integral to English culture…
He is an icon here. He likes having tea, marmalade sandwiches, is very polite and minds his manners — values that embody English culture.
Paddington’s values are also necessary today. Kindness is a superpower, and we often forget that. He reminds us of the goodness in people.
(From left) Arti Shah helped bring the character Rocket Raccoon to life; Shah as the Goblin in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; as Maz Kanata in Rogue One. PICS COURTESY/Arti Shah; Wikimedia Commons
With Paddington, you are now part of three big franchises, after Star Wars and Harry Potter. How do you look back on it?
It began in 2010 in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I then worked on Attack the Block by Joe Cornish about an alien invasion in South London, which led to a stunt role in World War Z with Brad Pitt. Then, I worked in Guardians of the Galaxy as the movement reference for Rocket Raccoon.
In 2013, I was asked to attend an audition meeting in London. That was for Star Wars. I have been part of the Disney-era films ever since.
Does it feel surreal?
There was one day when I was sitting in costume [as Maz Kanata on set], and in walked Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, and Han Solo. I had to pinch myself.
At what point in your life did you realise that people will view you differently?
I knew I was small as a child, but it did not occur to me that I would be small for the rest of my life. At 13, I remember a few boys threw stones at me and called me a ‘midget’. For a year, I felt like I didn’t belong, and didn’t want to exist. At that time, I read about a young girl who underwent leg lengthening surgery. Though my parents were supportive, I pulled out a week before. I realised that if I didn’t love myself for who I am, how can anyone else love me?
What would you tell that teenage girl looking back now?
If we all looked the same, how dull and boring would the world be. I think changing perceptions drives me now. I am determined to show that being small is not a negative, but a positive.
Any plans of visiting India?
I have never been to India. My father’s roots are from Gujarat. My grandfather moved to Kenya, and we have many relatives from there. But I do want to visit, and introduce my son to the great food.
