Disney is unveiling a new live-action take on The Little Mermaid for this year. The film stars Halle Bailey as the titular character. Unfortunately, there has been some backlash given Bailey’s race. Now Halle Bailey has discussed the racist backlash against The Little Mermaid.
She opened up about the film while speaking with The Face. At first, she explained what it was like connecting with the character. Bailey feels as though the two have a lot in common.
Here’s what Bailey shared on that front:
“I felt like God was lining up themes in my life with the character. Ariel has this longing for something more. She doesn’t quite know what it is yet, but she has to be brave in order to find it on her own. Being away from everybody for the first time in my life, I really loved those themes of knowing that it’s OK to be fearful and pushing through it.”
Interestingly, given her race, Halle Bailey discussed how certain traits from her race were incorporated with this new take on The Little Mermaid. This includes her locs which she believes was a change for the better.
“As a Black woman, hair is spiritual, especially locs. It was really cool for them to make Ariel a version of me with my locs. I feel like that’s what mermaid hair would be anyway.”
Naturally, that brings us to the backlash that the film has faced. Fortunately, Halle Bailey has done her best to ignore it.
“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore. I know people are like, ‘It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her … People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”
She actually learned to ignore the flow of negativity with advice from her sister, Chlöe Bailey, and Beyoncé, who she calls “B.”
“When [Chlöe and I] first signed to Parkwood, B was always like: ’I never read my comments. Don’t ever read the comments.’ Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo [the biggest Disney fan event] and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”
Bailey added the following conclusion:
“I just want to continue to heal through my art. Each project I’ve done has taught me something about myself, has given me something to live off. If somebody can take something away from whatever character I’m playing, that’s all that matters to me.”
The upcoming film was directed by Rob Marshall with a screenplay written by David Magee with a story penned by Magee alongside Rob Marshall and John DeLuca.
The film’s cast, in addition to Halle Bailey as Ariel, also includes Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as the voice of Flounder, Awkwafina as the voice of Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, with Javier Bardem as King Triton, and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
Fans will be able to see Disney’s new live-action adaptation of the iconic story The Little Mermaid when it hits theaters on May 26, 2023. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for additional updates regarding The Little Mermaid as we have them.