Actress Halle Bailey she made headlines when she landed her breakout role as Princess Ariel in the upcoming live-action Disney film. The little Mermaid. The Chloe x Halle singer has been in the spotlight with her older sister, chloe baileysince they embarked on their music careers in the early 2010s, and Halle has also made a name for herself on television through roles as Grown up.
Although Halle is enjoying her new status as a Disney princess, the Purple The star has faced a racist backlash ever since the network announced she was cast as Ariel in 2019. However, the Grammy Award nominee isn’t letting negativity get her down.
Read on to learn everything Halle has to say about starring in the Disney movie.
How did Halle Bailey react to the backlash of ‘The Little Mermaid’?
After the “Cool People” artist was cast in 2019, countless Halle fans applauded her for the big break. However, others took to social media with racist comments about her casting, with many pointing out that the original animated character is white.
Nearly four years later, Halle broke her silence on the matter in a February 2023 interview with Face.
“As a black person, you just expect it, and it’s not really a shock anymore,” Bailey explained to the outlet. “When [Chlöe and I] first signed with Parkwood, [Beyoncé] he always said, ‘I never read my comments. Never read the comments. Honestly, when the teaser came out, she was at the D23 Expo and she was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”
Halle also noted that she’s seen certain critics point out, “It’s not about race,” but she did talk about how it’s different for her as a black woman.
“But now that I’m her… people don’t understand that when you’re black, there’s this whole other community,” the Georgia native continued. “It’s very important for us to see ourselves.”
Despite the grueling scrutiny she received, Halle recalled the time she found sweet social media videos circulating online of black children happily reacting to seeing her as Ariel for the first time.
“I was crying all night for two days, just staring at them in disbelief,” the “Kids Are All Right” singer said. “It makes me feel more grateful for where I am.”
What has Halle Bailey said about the casting of ‘The Little Mermaid’?
Once production wrapped in July 2021, Halle took to Instagram to explain how much the movie means to her.
“After auditioning for this movie when I was 18 and about to turn 19, and now finished filming during a pandemic when I turned 21, we finally made it,” she captioned her post at the time. “I feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all its glory.”
Her work on the film was Halle’s “hardest experience” because she was “away from everything and everyone”. [she’s] never known.” On top of that, the guitarist faced “self-doubt” and “loneliness” during production.
However, Halle mentioned the “freedom and perseverance” that she developed over time.
“This experience has made me so much stronger than I ever thought I could be,” Halle concluded.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Little Mermaid’?
Apart from Hale, The little Mermaid The live-action movie has a star-studded cast that fans are excited to see. Funny melissa maccarthy plays the wicked sea witch, Ursula, while Javier Bardem he plays Ariel’s protective father, King Triton.
As for the love interest of the princess, Eric is played by an English actor. jonah hauer king.
