Thank you. It's been almost two years to the day

-since I've sat in this chair. -It has been almost

two years to the day.

What was great is, when you were here,

-you were promoting the launch of Grown-ish. -Yes.

And now, we're celebrating season three kicking off.

-Congratulations. -I know. Thank you so much.

-It's really exciting. -It is. -(applause and cheering)

I... You know what I love about the show particularly is,

it feels like it mirrors your life.

You know, we're-we're watching you in the show

playing this girl who grows into a young woman.

-Mm-hmm. -And you start to experience changes in life,

where it's, like, how you work, how you live, love life...

-Yeah. -work life, political life, everything.

What are you most excited about in the upcoming season?

Well, I feel like season three is the culmination

of everything we've worked towards in season one and two.

We've established the relationships.

You know who her friends are,

you know what she's gone through.

And she's actually figuring out what it means to be an adult.

Like, this is when the title actually comes into play,

because she's grown, and she has a job for the first time

-for more than four hours, which is really impressive. -Right.

Um, and so, I think, this season,

you see her try and figure out what her values, uh, are

as she enters the adult world

and is no longer even having that barrier

-of what it means to just be a college student. Yeah. -Right.

It-it really is, like, like, a journey

-that we all take for granted in life. -Mm-hmm.

Because, you know, we... I-I always feel like in life,

we always feel like we've figured it out and we've grown.

-Yes. -We always think we're grown.

-Oh, yeah. -Like, you're 16, and you're like, "I'm grown."

Then you're, like, 18, and you're like, "I'm grown."

Then you're 25. You're like, "I'm grown."

And then at some age, you're like, "I'm never grown."

-(laughter) -Right. -Um...

But-but when you're looking at this character,

and when you're looking at your character,

how do you... how do you split them up?

And then, where do you find the moments where, like,

Yara ties into the character that we see in the show?

Well, I feel like Zoey's become my alter ego.

I've played her for six years, going on seven years,

which is surreal, and I'm grateful for that.

But it means that, like, I've had the opportunity

to literally live a double life, playing a character

-that's a year older than me. -Right.

It's like being in the future, but also a future

where you're not in your own body.

Because it's like, I would never find myself

in this situation, doing Adderall, but...

It's useful...

to know the repercussions.

-Right. -(laughter)

And so I think, for me,

it's been, like, really fun to even just have that opportunity

as a young human to live my fullest life through Zoey

and then go back to being Yara, which is, um,

not a square but a quadrilateral.

-(laughter) -I like that.

I feel... so you're basically living, like, life...

you're doing all the wrong things

-that the rest of us don't get to erase, -Yeah.

and then you go like, "No, that was just in the show."

-Yeah, and then they say "cut," and... -And then you're done.

Yeah, and it's so fun, because I feel like Grown-ish

was actually a perfect prep course for life,

because I'm somebody that, um,

tends to think of things as pretty linear, of like,

"Okay, you make a mistake, you learn from it, you move on

and you grow," and there's something really beautiful

-about playing a character that consistently messes up, -Right.

because I feel like that's affected my own view of like,

"Okay, life is circular, and that's okay,"

and I'm settling into that.

And college, I consider the 13th grade,

in which I feel like you never leave high school,

you just repeat high school again,

-but, you know, you're older. -Oh, you do. Oh, you keep...

You do. You repeat it in college,

and then high school happens again

in, like, the work environment, and then...

I bet even in an old age home, someone's in a locker.

-Right. -Someone is being stuffed into a locker.

-Oh, God. Yes. -It never ends.

I-I am fascinated by that notion,

because, like, as Yara Shahidi,

there's one thing people know and love about you,

and that is, you are truly one of the smartest,

most thoughtful human beings

that just exists in the world, right?

-Thank you. -And you... you're engaged-- you read,

you're-you're knowledgeable.

I mean, Oprah literally said, "I just hope that I'm around

to see Yara as president of the United States."

That's what Oprah Winfrey said.

Like, people are asking her, "When are you gonna run?"

-She's like, "No, when is Yara gonna win?" -Thank you.

-(applause, cheering) -There's a lot of pressure

that comes with that as a person,

but you've found a way to remain young while still being engaged

in areas that people think a lot of young people wouldn't be.

You know, um... not even just politics.

Like, I appreciated, you had a post

where you just talked about, like, issues with skin.

-Mm-hmm. -And you posted, you know,

just, like, a bare face on Instagram,

and you talked about, like, why it was important to do that.

-Why do you do that? -Um, well, honestly,

I feel like my public life is really an extension

of what's been established with my family and the foundation

that I have at home, and so oftentimes,

I-I think what Black-ish did and then Grown-ish did

and then just being out in the world as Yara was... gives me

an opportunity to talk about just the conversations we've had

in which we're always talking about politics,

we're always talking about... It was my 11-year-old brother

who introduced me to all my economic podcasts I listen to,

-Wow. -and...

-Your 11-year-old brother? -Yes.

So, have you heard these economic podcasts?

It was, like, Freakonomics and Planet Money

and a ton of NPR podcasts that he listens to in his free time.

-Uh, and so... -He doesn't have free t...

He's 11? What does "free time" mean?

-What does that mean? -I don't...

Well, he also has a green screen in our front room,

-so he's making films, like, 24/7. -Ah, of course.

-Yes, carry on. Yes. -(laughter)

It's called Ehsan Is Everything Productions.

-Got it. -I love it. It's a subtle title.

-(laughter) -But I-I think...

really the reason that it's important to me

is that the idea of being out in the world,

it becomes really trivial if you don't have a greater purpose,

because, quite honestly, if I don't feel like

I am progressing towards something greater than myself,

then I look, I'm like, "I have made 22 minutes' worth

of content in the past five days." That's great.

-Right. -Yeah, that's it, and so, I-I think that's why

it's been important that Grown-ish talks about issues.

I feel like it's important that I'm out in the world talking

about just what affects me and my family,

because selfishly, I see my peers being affected,

I see my own family being affected and the fact that

-I have the-the safety right now to be in conversation. -Yeah.

And also have places where, I mean, the fact that

-I was 17 here for the first time. -Right.

And you've opened this platform for me to talk about

the importance of voting in young people,

I think demonstrates why I like to do what I do

with the opportunities I've been given, so thank you.

You-you really use them well, which I've always admired,

honesty as-as a human being, um, because as you said,

17, most of us would just be thinking about, well,

in our country, it was, like, getting ready

to drink for the first time, right?

'Cause 18 is the legal age, but you at 17 were going,

"No, I, uh, I'm looking to get people to register to vote.

I want as many young people to vote as poss--"

Your-your excitement at 18 was like,

(sing-songy): "I'm gonna vote in the midterms."

-(laughs): Yeah. -That was, like, your thing.

-It was, it was. -And you were genuinely excited about it.

This wasn't, like, a TV excitement...

Like, Yara was like, "Aw, man! 18-- here it comes."

My friends always said the only reason I'd ever get a fake I.D.

-at 17 was to prematurely vote. -(Noah laughing)

Which I feel, like, is the most on-brand thing

-that's ever been said about me. -Right.

And-and now, you-you are, you're getting ready, I mean,

-20 years, it's another big year for you. -Mm-hmm.

You're gonna be 20 this year and 2020,

-giant election coming up. -Yes!

This is going to be your first presidential election.

-It is. -What do you hope, not for yourself,

but for other young people who didn't turn out last time

because they feel like voting doesn't matter

and their vote doesn't count.

Well, I-I think what this last year and a half,

if not, the past three years have really demonstrated

is why policy is personal, and I-I think through

the actions of this administration,

but just what we're experiencing globally right now,

has demonstrated why it's so much more than this

theoretical debate about the economy, this theoretical

debate about, um, health rights and such,

but why it's a conversation that takes place

in your neighborhood, and your community.

And so, as of right now, what I've been experiencing

is not even having to convince young people,

"Like, hey, you should be concerned about voting."

-Mm-hmm. -But really it's been a matter of like,

"How can I be a liaison in terms of resources and access?"

Because it's confusing, like, I literally had my, uh,

little voter handbook annotated.

Like, it was a full homework assignment to figure out

-where to find information on policies and such. -Right.

And I'm somebody that gets to spend, I don't know,

an absurd amount of time just listening to the news

and then talking to people about the news,

and it was still extremely confusing for me.

And so, I think it's a matter of just being able to say

the passion's already there, and how do we translate that

into actual policy action by explaining what's happening.

-Wow. -(laughs)

-I look forward to campaigning for you... -Thanks.

when you are running for office

for the United States presidency.

-Thank you so much for being on the show again. -Thank you.

Always an amazing guest, season three of Grown-ish premieres

January 16 on Freeform. Make sure you watch it.

Yara Shahidi, everyone.