Kathreen Khavari's dream had always been to act. Her foray into writing, she says, grew out of frustration. Tired of the stereotypical roles she was being offered (terrorists, wives of terrorists and refugees), the Iranian-American actress began writing roles for herself. With writing partner Chuck Neal, Khavari co-created and stars in "Embrace," a pilot from Refinery29 premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The series follows a medical student whose immigrant parents have fallen on hard times and are considering moving back to Iran. In order to keep her family together, she comes up with an unconventional plan. Khavari spoke with John Horn about "Embrace," her acting career, and about being the voice of Ms. Marvel, Marvel's first Muslim character to headline her own comic book.

 

My parents left Iran after the revolution and have been working in this country ever since. My mom has been an early childhood development teacher for over 25 years in Oakland, California. She got her masters degree in Iran, but when she came to the US her English wasn’t great. She worked to improve her English until she was fluent enough to work. Then she took classes to become a qualified teacher. And it didn't stop there. 

 

My mother is a perfectionist and that has translated into her work with kids. Her classroom is always immaculate and her curriculum, challenging. She knew these kids were capable of learning the building blocks of literacy and she made sure to tap into their full potential. I admire her so much for her perseverance and her dedication to her profession. She improves children’s literacy in a language that she herself had to learn! So when someone like my mother -- who has put so much effort into educating American youth -- is demonized on the basis of her country of origin, that’s the definition of injustice.

I went to the Hollywood premiere of Big Little Lies in a $20 black dress from the Zara's sale rack with big white letters that I hand-painted on it reading: “My Iranian Immigrant Mother Teaches Your Kids How To Read.”