Sarah Shahi Brings a Beautiful Mix To 'Fairly Legal'

By Michael Lopez

There are plenty of multicultural female performers in the entertainment world. There’s Christina Aguilera’s Ecuadorian-European mix, Selena Gomez’s Mexican-Italian blend and Sarah Shahi’s unique Spanish-Persian combo. Although Sarah first turned heads as a cheerleader, then as LAPD detective Dani Reese on the NBC series Life and star of Showtime's The L Word, the brunette beauty now stars as the lead lawyer on USA's new show Fairly Legal.

Born Aahoo Jahansouzshahi to an Iranian father and Spanish mother, she picked up to the name Sarah early on in her life.

“I got tormented," Shahi confessed to USA Today. "Kids were calling me 'Yahoo,' 'Awahoo' and 'Achoo.' I wanted to be Vicky from (the TV series) Small Wonder, but my mom didn't like that name. We were listening to the radio. The song Sarah was on, and she said, 'What about Sarah?' I said, 'Fine. I'll take it. Anything other than Aahoo.'"

With a new name and newfound confidence, Sarah became more comfortable in the spotlight, eventually landing a coveted slot on the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleading squad.

"Cheerleading was my way in," Shahi said. "It was one of the most rigorous audition processes ever. It definitely groomed me for Hollywood. I'd never been a cheerleader, but I'd danced. And I was captain of the volleyball team and the basketball team, and I ran track.”

Not long after, Sarah began landing acting roles, including a memorable stint on the Showtime series The L Word. Her character, Mexican-American DJ Carmen de la Pica Morales proved a major hit with male and female viewers alike.

Now Sarah’s got her first starring role as San Francisco attorney Kate Reed on USA Network’s Fairly Legal. As Shahi explained, this character isn’t too different from herself.

“Kate is a spontaneous, whimsical, free spirit kind of girl," she said. "I don't find that hard to play. Kate's very vocal about her opinions, and so am I.”

Judging from the positive buzz about her acting chops (and those sexy Fairly Legal posters popping up around town), Sarah’s on her way to a long and lucrative career.

Are you of bicultural heritage? Tell us about it in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Cultura, Fairly Legal, Hot Stuff, Sarah Shahi, Television