Malala Goes Hollywood: How the ‘Stranger Things’-Loving Activist Wants to Shake Up TV
Malala Yousafzai is one of creative leaders honored for Variety’s 2022 Power of Women presented by Lifetime. For more, click here. Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is comparing herself to the monster from “Stranger Things” as she shows off her double-jointedness. “I am Vecna,” she declares while bending her fingers way back, emulating the slimy talons of Jamie Campbell Bower’s dastardly overlord of the Upside Down. Yousafzai may be a messenger of peace, globally recognized for her work campaigning for girls’ education, but she’s also lost a lot of sleep devouring the stunningly violent fourth season of the hit Netflix series, which she binge-watched with her new husband, Asser Malik. Growing up in Swat Valley, Pakistan, the TV enthusiast watched shows such as British sitcom “Mind Your Language” and ABC’s “Ugly Betty” to improve her English and decipher Western culture. Now, inhaling the latest TV programs is technically her job. “I am a producer,” says Yousafzai proudly. “I want my name to be there in TV shows, documentaries and movies.”