Get to Know 'Jack Ryan' Newcomer Dina Shihabi

Amazon's Jack Ryan has been getting plenty of publicity for its star John Krasinski since it launched on the streaming service on August 31, but the supporting cast members are equally worthy of attention and praise. If you've checked out the series, then you might have recognized Wendell Pierce (he plays Meghan Markle's father on Suits) or Abbie Cornish as Jack's love interest, but the show also introduces newcomer Dina Shihabi, 29, who more than holds her own among this veteran cast.

The Saudi Arabian-born, Dubai-raised "mutt," as she calls herself ("I consider myself Arab European because my dad is half-Saudi, half-Norwegian, and my mom is half-Palestinian, half-German and Haitian, but raised in the south of France.") plays Hanin, the young Syrian mother and wife of series villain Suleiman. Hanin discovers that her husband isn't the man she thought he was, so she leaves him in the middle of the night—only to get intercepted by Jack Ryan, who she then helps to track down her husband.

Shihabi is not a mother like her character, but says she fell in love with how fiercely loyal and protective Hanin is to her children. "She's smart and intelligent, and you see what a mother is really capable of doing. Nothing will stop her." Shihabi says she also wanted the role because "when you see Arab women on screen, they are usually victims and not driving the story. The character I play is anything but a victim. She's so badass."

Growing up in Saudi Arabia during her formative years, Shihabi says she never had that example on TV before. "When you don't see an example of yourself on TV, you don't feel like you exist."

That changed thanks to Shihabi's parents, who moved the family to Dubai so their daughter could have a different life. "When I was six [in Saudi Arabia], it was illegal for girls to play sports and I was devastated. My parents had a really important conversation about where [I would grow up], and my mom even said to my dad, 'If you don't let her [follow her dreams], I'll divorce you.' She made it clear that it was never going to be an issue, and that is the reason why I've gotten to do what I've gotten to do. I'm so grateful to them."

Although Shihabi was a shy girl growing up in Dubai, she says she found her voice thanks to dance. "The more I started dancing, the more I got involved in acting, and it changed my life." In fact, when there weren't any classes past a certain point in school, she created her own acting class—even stepping into the role as director—because she was so in love with the arts. At 18, Shihabi moved to New York where she took acting classes during the day and dance classes at night. "I actually danced for Saturday Night Live my first few years in New York," she says. "I did a lot of digital shorts, including one with Emma Stone."

If that wasn't impressive enough, Shihabi was accepted into NYU's graduate program and Juilliard, even without a bachelor's degree. She chose NYU. "They hadn't done that before and they haven't done it since," she says. "It was such a gift, and I'm so very grateful."

Shihabi graduated four years ago; two years later, she packed up and moved to Los Angeles. "I always had a feeling I had to be in L.A., but I fought it. Then I had this weird feeling and four months later I booked Jack Ryan."

Still, Shihabi hasn't forgotten her roots, and she's excited about the changes happening back in her birth country. "It's so exciting to see everything that happening [in Saudi Arabia] right now. I never would have thought it would have happened in my lifetime." She's just as hopeful about the roles for women that she's seeing on screen right here in the United States. "I feel like it's the time for women to drive stories and be complex, and not just be this idealized version of what a woman should be [when] written by a man. A lot of female writers and creators are telling incredible stories and it's so exciting. I feel so lucky that now is the time that I'm entering into this business."

Jack Ryan is currently streaming on Amazon.