Woman Crush Wednesday: Dina Shihabi Will Enthrall You in ‘Archive 81’

The weather right now may be bitterly cold (depending on where you are), but the new movies and show streaming now are hotter than ever, making for an exciting and fresh start to 2022 so far. The driving force behind making these titles as terrific as they are? All of the talented ladies starring in ’em, of course! With this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday, we’re recognizing one of those wonderful women by shouting out the amazing career she’s had thus far as well as what she’s cooking up next. This week, we’re celebrating a woman who has been churning out consistently great work on screens big and small, and who will only continue to become a bigger name in mainstream media down the line. So, without further ado, do yourselves a favor and get to know this week’s WCW, the spectacular Dina Shihabi!

WHO’S THAT GAL: Dina Shihabi

WHY WE’RE CRUSHING: Shihabi stars as Melody Pendras in upcoming Netflix Original title Archive 81, which premieres on the platform this Friday, January 14th. Inspired by the found footage horror podcast of the same name that began in 2018, this eight-episode horror mystery-drama series centers on an archivist (Mamoudou Athie) who has been hired to restore a collection of old and damaged tapes from 1994. In the midst of the job, he finds himself reconstructing the work of a filmmaker (Shihabi) and her investigation into a dangerous cult, kicking off a desperate endeavor to save her from a horrific fate.

In addition to Shihabi and Athie, the series also features Matt McGorry, Ariana Neal, Julia Chan, Martin Donovan, Evan Jonigkeit, and Daniel Johnson, and is led behind the camera by showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine, director Rebecca Thomas, and executive producer James Wan. Make sure to check out all of their incredible work by streaming Archive 81 as soon as it drops on Netflix.

WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE: Shihabi’s professional onscreen career began in 2010, when she appeared in short comedy film Rx as Sylvia and in an episode of coming-of-age comedy series Mumbai Chopra: Misadventures of an It Girl as Audience Girl. Just one year later, she had her feature-length film debut in family drama David before acting in another short film, 2013 drama Ben. These roles helped Shihabi build up the acting skills to lead her to her first major role as the titular Amira Jafari in 2014 romantic-comedy Amira & Sam, which helped to expose the actress to an even wider audience and realm of opportunities.

From there, Shihabi acted in short film Post-Emma and in a TV short for Burt Paxton before earning a multi-episode stint in CBS political-drama series Madam Secretary in 2016. She continued to steadily earn bigger roles on screens big and small, such as recurring and guest work in shows like BKPI, Jack Ryan, Daredevil, and Ramy, as well as roles in films like 2016 drama Good Funk, 2017 musical comedy Cherry Pop, and 2017 action war-drama Cigarette Soup. Within the last few years, Shihabi has only continued to build upon her diverse filmography, with a main role as Dig 301 in Netflix cyberpunk series Altered Carbon in 2020, and as Emmy in 2021 drama MVP. With all of this amazing work under her belt and even more in the works, Shihabi is clearly a talented and versatile actress worth keeping an eye on, and we look forward to seeing all that she will create and accomplish in the years to come.

WHERE YOU’LL SEE HER AGAIN: Luckily, you won’t have to wait too much longer to see more from Shihabi. Shihabi is set to play Britt Hufford in upcoming Netflix crime-drama Painkiller. The limited series delves into the origins of the opioid crisis, and will also feature Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, John Ales, Carolina Bartczak, Sam Anderson, Jack Mulhern, West Duchovny, and Ana Kayne. Look out for Painkiller to drop on Netflix later this year.

For even more from Shihabi while you wait, make sure to follow her on Instagram and Twitter so you never miss a moment from your world-class WCW!

Watch Archive 81 on Netflix