Nadia Yassir
Encyclopedia
Nadia Yassir is a fictional character
from the TV series 24
played by Marisol Nichols
. Introduced in Season 6, she works for the Counter Terrorist Unit at Los Angeles
, a fictional domestic branch of the Central Intelligence Agency
. For a short time in the sixth season, she replaces Bill Buchanan
as the Director of CTU after he is fired.
got the role after auditioning for the show four times including for the roles of Carrie Turner, Michelle Dessler
and Claudia, Jack's love-interest in the third season. The character was initially to be named Natalie Barnes, but executive producer Howard Gordon
decided to make the character Pakistani American
a week before the shooting the sixth season of 24.
In contrast to the South Asian Muslim character she portrays, the actress is of Hungarian and Romanian descent from her paternal side and part Mexican
and Spanish
on her mother's, and does not have any ancestry from Pakistan, other South Asian Muslim countries, or the Arab world
. She has stated that her olive toned skin and dark hair allows her to play characters of many nationalities.
Nichols does not speak Arabic, unlike the character she portrays. In addition to her part, she had to memorize technical terminology
and speak the language with a correct pronunciation. The character has been described as the opposite of Muslim characters on American television, in which they are at times stereotypically portrayed
.
i parents although Nadia has been described as an Arab American
. Living in the United States since the age of two, Nadia is very Americanized, and also a practicing Muslim
. Nadia is portrayed as an attractive, strong and skilled woman. She occasionally disagrees with Chloe O'Brian
, who has a history of breaking rules to help Jack Bauer
. She is a registered Republican
. Nichols describes her as a "woman in command who also has integrity."
She has a Bachelor of Arts
in Languages from University of Michigan
. She is notable for her fluency in Arabic although Nadia is of Pakistani descent and Arabic is not one of the primary languages of Pakistan
. Throughout the show, she interprets Arabic spoken by the terrorists. Nadia Yassir has been racially profiled
for being a Muslim. She had restricted access to her background in her workplace and she is the first to be suspected of leaking data to terrorists by Mike Doyle which led to interrogation.
Nadia has been a love interest of Milo Pressman
throughout Season 6. At one point, she and Milo share a passionate kiss. Tensions between Nadia, Milo, and his nemesis Mike Doyle rises when Nadia shows concern for Doyle after a field operation. The romantic connection between Milo and Nadia reaches a climax when Chinese agent Cheng Zhi's men invade CTU and hold the people inside it hostage. Zhou, the leader of the operation asks who is in command, Milo stands up instead of Nadia, protecting her, which results in his death.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the TV series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
played by Marisol Nichols
Marisol Nichols
Marisol Nichols is an American actress best known for her role in the sixth season of 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir.-Early life:...
. Introduced in Season 6, she works for the Counter Terrorist Unit at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, a fictional domestic branch of the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. For a short time in the sixth season, she replaces Bill Buchanan
Bill Buchanan
Bill Buchanan was an American songwriter.-Career:His most famous composition took place in 1956, when he and Dickie Goodman created the sound collage "The Flying Saucer." After Buchanan and Goodman severed their partnership in 1959, Buchanan later wrote the song "Please Don't Ask About Barbara"...
as the Director of CTU after he is fired.
Concept and creation
Marisol NicholsMarisol Nichols
Marisol Nichols is an American actress best known for her role in the sixth season of 24 as Special Agent Nadia Yassir.-Early life:...
got the role after auditioning for the show four times including for the roles of Carrie Turner, Michelle Dessler
Michelle Dessler
Michelle Dessler is a fictional character played by Reiko Aylesworth on the television series, 24. She was one of Jack's closest and most trusted female allies at CTU as well as one of his closest friends outside of work. The character first appeared in the second season of 24 as an Internet...
and Claudia, Jack's love-interest in the third season. The character was initially to be named Natalie Barnes, but executive producer Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon
Howard Gordon is an American screenwriter and producer.-Life and career:Gordon was born in Queens, New York, New York. After graduating from Princeton in 1984, Gordon came to Los Angeles with fellow filmmaker Alex Gansa to pursue a career in writing for television. Both broke into the industry...
decided to make the character Pakistani American
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
a week before the shooting the sixth season of 24.
In contrast to the South Asian Muslim character she portrays, the actress is of Hungarian and Romanian descent from her paternal side and part Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
on her mother's, and does not have any ancestry from Pakistan, other South Asian Muslim countries, or the Arab world
Arab world
The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
. She has stated that her olive toned skin and dark hair allows her to play characters of many nationalities.
Nichols does not speak Arabic, unlike the character she portrays. In addition to her part, she had to memorize technical terminology
Technical terminology
Technical terminology is the specialized vocabulary of any field, not just technical fields. The same is true of the synonyms technical terms, terms of art, shop talk and words of art, which do not necessarily refer to technology or art...
and speak the language with a correct pronunciation. The character has been described as the opposite of Muslim characters on American television, in which they are at times stereotypically portrayed
Stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims
Stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims have been presented in various forms by the mass media in Western culture and American culture. Stereotypical representations of Arabs are often manifested in a society's media, literature, theater and other creative expressions...
.
Characterization
Loosely mentioned in the show that the character was born in the Middle East, Marisol Nichols said the character was born to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i parents although Nadia has been described as an Arab American
Arab American
An Arab American is a United States citizen or resident of Arab ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage or identity, who identifies themselves as Arab. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World...
. Living in the United States since the age of two, Nadia is very Americanized, and also a practicing Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Nadia is portrayed as an attractive, strong and skilled woman. She occasionally disagrees with Chloe O'Brian
Chloe O'Brian
Chloe O'Brian is a fictional character played by actress Mary Lynn Rajskub on the US television series 24. An analyst at CTU Los Angeles , she is Jack Bauer's most trusted colleague, often doing unconventional and unauthorized favors for him, even at personal risk to herself...
, who has a history of breaking rules to help Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
. She is a registered Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Nichols describes her as a "woman in command who also has integrity."
She has a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Languages from University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. She is notable for her fluency in Arabic although Nadia is of Pakistani descent and Arabic is not one of the primary languages of Pakistan
Languages of Pakistan
Languages of Pakistan include two official languages: Urdu, which is also Pakistan's national language and lingua franca, and English. Additionally, Pakistan has four major provincial languages: Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Farsi and Balochi, as well as three major regional languages: Saraiki, Hindko...
. Throughout the show, she interprets Arabic spoken by the terrorists. Nadia Yassir has been racially profiled
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
for being a Muslim. She had restricted access to her background in her workplace and she is the first to be suspected of leaking data to terrorists by Mike Doyle which led to interrogation.
Nadia has been a love interest of Milo Pressman
Milo Pressman
Milo Pressman is a fictional character played by Eric Balfour on the show 24.During the events of Day 6, Milo works as the Internet Protocol Manager of the Los Angeles CTU Domestic Unit.-Characterization:Milo Pressman was born in 1978...
throughout Season 6. At one point, she and Milo share a passionate kiss. Tensions between Nadia, Milo, and his nemesis Mike Doyle rises when Nadia shows concern for Doyle after a field operation. The romantic connection between Milo and Nadia reaches a climax when Chinese agent Cheng Zhi's men invade CTU and hold the people inside it hostage. Zhou, the leader of the operation asks who is in command, Milo stands up instead of Nadia, protecting her, which results in his death.