Even before Spider-Man: Far From Home swung into theaters, the highly anticipated sequel had fans excited to see how Peter Parker would save the day in the wake of events in Avengers: Endgame. Between Tom Holland’s clever way of drinking through his Spidey suit and Zendaya’s red hair, there were plenty of things drumming up buzz about the movie. Among them, causing quite a stir, was Zoha Rahman’s character, Peter’s hijab-wearing classmate helping to break barriers for Muslim representation.

Late last year, Tom posted to his Instagram Story a behind-the-scenes look at filming Spider-Man: Far From Home that featured Zoha on a balcony. Many eagle-eyed fans noticed her, including Twitter user @infinitystony, who tweeted some screenshots and wrote, “I have no idea who that girl from tom holland’s ig story is playing in spiderman far from home but if we’re actually getting a muslim character who’s more than just an extra in the movie i’m gonna build jon watts a shrine.”

It’s an important step forward considering Hollywood’s past portrayals of Muslims, and even the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s own depictions over the years. In 2015, actor Faran Tahir opened up about having worked with the production team after reading the original script for the 2008 film Iron Man to prevent his character, the villain Raza, from perpetuating negative stereotypes of Muslims.

There’s plenty of work that still needs to be done, but hopefully Zoha’s role in Spider-Man is a step in the right direction. Recently Teen Vogue caught up with the London-based actor about ditching law studies to pursue performing, the power of Muslim representation, and more.

Teen Vogue: Can you introduce yourself?

Zoha Rahman: My name is Zoha Rahman. I was born in Pakistan, but later moved to London with my family. I love Maggi noodles. I studied law at university and while I was on my way to becoming a barrister, I decided to take a giant leap of faith and started acting/modeling full time. I didn’t want anymore “what ifs” unanswered.

TV: How did your parents react to this career change?

ZR: As you can imagine, my traditional Pakistani parents were not exactly ecstatic. But I am adamant! I work hard enough for them to now realize that this is a career and not a phase or hobby. I want to change the narrative of Muslims in media. I want to work towards fewer caricatures and more humanity in our representation.

This [role] is a dream come true for me as much as it is for the girls around me. I grew up without seeing someone like myself onscreen. And when I did start seeing representations in mainstream media, they were irresponsible and poor. Muslims and Pakistanis are often offered one of two portrayals; oppressed or violent. I treated my role as a huge responsibility. I am Muslim, but I do not wear the hijab on a daily basis. I wanted to do it justice. It is not a hat or a costume, and I was determined to give it the respect it deserves. To hear from young girls and women who wear the hijab out there pushing me and telling me they are proud of me, it's a feeling I truly can't describe.

TV: How did you get this role?