Harper’s Bazaar Arabia 200th Anniversary Issue: Kira Yaghnam And Tara Abboud On The Sisters We Choose
Introducing the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia x Cartier LOVE cover series, celebrating the 200th April 2025 issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia…
They were always destined to be stars – starting the process of honing their crafts from when they were little girls at performing arts schools – but more than that, they were always destined to be friends. Palestinian-Jordanian actress Tara Abboud, 24, and her 21-year-old cousin Kira Yaghnam’s career trajectories have followed a similar path, with the duo – who also grew up as next-door neighbours in Amman – sharing on-screen space in hit Netflix drama AlRawabi School for Girls, which took their fame stratospheric.
“We were each other’s first friends and sisters,” Kira says of her first cousin Tara, who was introduced to her when the former was a newborn in the hospital. “We still are. There is this family video which I love, where she’s petting me like a little puppy. She says, ‘You’re so beautiful.’”
Tara agrees, “She was born when I was three; I had a little best friend because I didn’t have any sisters yet. She was my partner in crime – in everything. We would go spying on our parents. And then, when we started having other siblings – I have two sisters, and Kira has a brother and a sister – there was no iPad, nothing. So we’d make up stories and create stuff to play. We had the same passions since we were kids, when we were growing up. We were in ballet school together. We were interested in dance, acting, singing, piano – the triple threat as we covered everything. We used to do these performances at home for Christmas.”
The two share a conspiratorial glance, before Kira explains, “We’d use our performances to convince our parents to let us sleep over at each others’ houses. We’d create these whole ballet shows. I remember you specifically teaching me the whole Sleeping Beauty ballet. I remember that. That was one of my best memories, and we used to rehearse them very, very vigorously.”
The one constant? Their commitment to their craft, even at such a young age. “We took it so seriously!” Tara exclaims. “So basically, we’d get the family, we’d sit them down, especially on Christmas or when there was an event for the whole family, and we’re like, ‘Okay. We’re performing now.’ We would have practiced together beforehand and decided on everything we were going to do. Then, they have to just sit and watch it. We did dance shows, everything. These are the best memories from our childhood.”
During their chat so many anecdotes come to light. “I had a breakdown one day, because she was going on vacation with her family,” reminisces Tara. “She was going to Aqaba, and they told me, ‘That’s because you had a fight earlier that day.’ I was like, ‘I’m getting punished?’ and I really got upset that day. I must have been around five.”
Even though their careers rose in parallel and there was always scope for rivalry, their personal relationship and camaraderie always triumphed, with each suggesting the other for roles. Their professional focus “was definitely intertwined,” Tara tells us. “Because I remember, I started when I was seven [years-old] with short films, and then it was one after the other. I would audition, and I would take her with me to auditions. If they asked me to do a certain role, I would be like, ‘Oh. There’s my cousin as well.’ We went to auditions together, hoping there’d be another role in that show. Her mum is also an actress. She was really into acting and dancing – and still is – so she kind of started to pave the way for us.”
They are so close that they even end up finishing each other’s thoughts, with Kira musing, “I think that is how we got inspired…” before Tara jumps in, “from your mum? She definitely played a role in shaping this passion.” Kira explains, “My mum [Dina Ra’ad-Yaghnam] was part of Mirage, one of the most popular Arab rock bands in the eighties. She was also a phenomenal actress, but then she paused her life for us. I’m very grateful for that, but I also feel very guilty, because I’d have never wanted her to stop that for us – now she’s trying to get back into it.”
Th ere was never any question about where this road was going to take them. Their parents “wanted us to be artists,” says Tara. “Even though we’re studying different things now – she’s studying psychology, I’m studying medicine – they are still supporting our artistic careers.”
“You know how it’s either nature or nurture? I definitely think it is both for us. We’ve been born with this, but we’ve also been nurtured. We were always surrounded by the arts because of my mum, so I think that inspired us even more,” finishes Kira. “I think we’re very, very grateful for our parents. They’ve been most supportive and they trust us blindly. They planted this seed of art and passion in us when we were young by putting us in ballet school and taking us to all these classes. We discovered our passion for performing arts through them; we are so very grateful.”
“I have a core memory of us sitting with my aunt when we were young,” recalls Tara. “We were talking about how we used to watch Hannah Montana and these Disney artists. We said, ‘We want to be like her.’ My aunt was trying to tell us that opportunities are different in America, and it’s quite tough here. That it’s harder to make it. We were just really sad. I think we were crying at some point, because we really wanted to be actresses. We really wanted to be performers and we didn’t know how to do it. So, we’re really proud. If the younger versions of us were watching us now, they would be really, really happy. It worked out for both of us, and hopefully will continue working out.”
“We were like a club and Tara was always like our leader,” says Kira. “She’d create games for us, and we’d create book clubs in our closet. We had this game called Candyland that I was convinced was real. She’d tell us we would teleport to a place called Candyland, and there was candy everywhere there. She really shaped our childhood. She was a big sister to us all. This is what makes her such an amazing artist; since childhood, you could see how creative and imaginative she was with all the games. It’s no wonder she’s such an insane artist and so supportive. This is the part of her nature, not the nurturing part. You were born so creative and imaginative.”
“I love you,” Tara says, getting emotional. “You too, definitely. It is really nice to have someone that enjoys the things you enjoy in the family. You have the same passions, the same interests. We would do music covers together, play the piano, go to ballet performances together.”
On the outside, seeing their burgeoning careers and sunny disposition, it might seem that they have mastered the art of balance, juggling their university disciplines alongside their already flourishing acting gigs. How do they manage it all? Tara has a succinct answer: “With lots of effort. I took a few gap years when I was shooting, but at the moment it’s getting harder, because they’re really going at the same time and there’s no more gap years left. So I’m just crossing my fingers, going with the flow, taking it step by step, trying to organise my time – hopefully it’ll work.”
“She’s doing an amazing job. We don’t know how she does it,” Kira encourages her cousin. And although her psychology degree might seem disconnected with her performing, it is actually intrinsic to taking it to the next stage. “The reason I’m doing psychology is so it can aid me with my acting and performing arts. I’m using it to help with my career,” she says.
The fact that they are both in the same sphere is key to their success. “Kira’s a piece of home that’s always with me at work,” Tara shares. She brings me peace, grounding and I can always be myself. There’s no judgement. And she’s also very funny. I think we have very different senses of humour, but we just get each other. She’s very edgy. That’s something that I really admire about her. Her style, she created her style. I don’t know where she saw the inspiration to cut her hair this way. She’s so talented. She’s a model. She sings. She dances. She acts. The character she did in AlRawabi left everyone in awe. She’s magnetic.”
Kira is quick to return the compliment. “What I love about Tara is she has grit, especially when we’re at work. She’s always inspired me to push myself, more than I could have imagined pushing myself. Whenever I think I have reached my limit, she’ll make me test those limits. She has a mother hen instinct; it applies to everyone around her, with small acts of kindness that makes people around her feel cared for and loved.”
These bonds between these two cousins, friends and co-workers is undeniable – and the fact that they are both able to scale the ladder of success together, cheering each other on, makes their journey even sweeter.
Lead Image Credits: Kira and Tara wear Cartier Love Jewellery, all Cartier
Kira wears: Shirt, Acne Studios. Trousers, Sirivannavari. Tara wears: Top, Nóra Label. Trousers, Loewe
Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Phillips. Acting Editor-in-Chief: Sophia Serin. Creative Director: Marne Schwartz, Tamim Mortaza; Vice President: Farrah Taylor. Group Managing Editor & Words: Natasha Faruque. Art Director: Paul Solomons. Photographer: Mattia Guolo, Vladimir Marti. Movement: Jamie Neale, Adrien Galo. Production: Steff Hawker, Jean-Marc Mondelet. Make-up Direction: Anna Sadamori, Raffaele Romagnoli. Set Styling: Camille Rousseau. Videography: Maycon Dehan. Fashion: Gabriela Cambero, Charlotte Marsh-Williams. Hair Direction: Jean-Luc Amarin, Adam Garland. Nail Artist: Nafissa Djabi, Leyla Mistry. Photography Assistants: Alessia Azzolini, Alessio Spanu, Manfredi Prestigiacomo, Macky Navarro; Videography Assistants: Larissy Leandro. Production Manager: Gijo Thomas. Image Editor: Jemima Joy. Production Coordination: Erin Steel, Chloe Christodoulou, Marina Moravenova. Hair Assistants: Tracey Nguyen, Yihan Jen, Ziyan Zhang, Wenting Zhangn, Bella Hudgell. Make-up Assistants: Ismahane Benabbou, Natalia Bokan, Roberto Meloni, Sitara Nash, Gabriel Leggieri. Nail Assistants: Yasmine Hilali. Editorial: Milli Midwood, Meeran Mekkaoui.
