Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton Look So Good on Cosmo's Latest Cover, I'm at a Loss For Words

By Brea Cubit
Cosmopolitan | Eric Ray Davidson
Cosmopolitan | Eric Ray Davidson

Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton have graced Cosmopolitan's April issue, and I'm going to need a moment to recover from their stunning photos. The 19-year-old Grown-ish actress and 28-year-old Riverdale actor are preparing to hit the big screen this Summer as costars in the film The Sun Is Also a Star. Not only have the two young adults been outspoken leaders of social change, but they've also been beacons of inspiration, particularly for Gen Z. And when their upcoming movie drops, they'll answer the question, can you fall in love within 24 hours?

Yara and Charles spoke with Cosmopolitan about their dynamic as well as their careers and thoughts on the concept of love. Ahead, read some of their standout quotes from the joint interview!

  • Yara on how her Grown-ish character, Zoey Johnson, has impacted her life: "I can tell you that I give my friends the best advice, because my character gets into so much trouble. I'm like, 'Oh yeah, we tried the whole love-triangle thing. Doesn't work.'"
  • Yara on her friendship with Grown-ish castmates Luka Sabbat and Trevor Jackson: "It's really funny. I forgot what story I was telling them — it wasn't anything bad, but somebody wasn't being the nicest to me, and I think they both offered to fight them on my behalf. I said no — I'm a pacifist! But I appreciated the gesture."

  • Yara on meeting Charles at the film's audition and sharing a Pop-Tart: "Dessert is something I'm very serious about. So if I've shared dessert with you? It's another level of connection."
  • Charles on his tattoo of the word "love" on his left middle finger: "I heard, and I don't think it's true, but I heard there's an artery that connects from this finger all the way up your arm into your heart. So I got love right there."

  • Charles on falling in love: "I think you can fall in love in the snap of a finger, you know? It all started when I was 13 or 14. Every girl I was with, I thought I was gonna marry . . . My head's in the clouds. I'm a dreamer. I'm a hopeless romantic!"
  • Charles on being an Asian-American lead in a romance film: "Being an Asian-American lead for a studio film — it almost seems like it's not real for me, you know? Growing up, I never saw anybody who looked like me, really. So it's very emotional for me . . . [After seeing Crazy Rich Asians] I cried seven times. It was just so emotional. Everyone was of Asian descent, and I was like, 'Wow.' And I'm thinking about the movie I did with Yara, and Yara is Iranian and Black. It's very surreal."