Disney's upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey as the new Ariel. Directed by Rob Marshall, the feature film is the latest of Disney's many remakes of classic animated films that have been getting churned out in recent years. Filming The Little Mermaid has been a lengthy process, in part due to covid-related delays, but the movie has since wrapped filming and is scheduled to hit theaters in May 2023.
Speaking candidly about her casting in a new Variety interview, Bailey spoke about what it means to play such an iconic character. It's a barrier-breaking casting, as Bailey becomes the second Black Disney princess with her casting following the introduction of Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) in the animated feature The Princess and the Frog. Bailey can only imagine how thrilled her younger self would be to see a Black woman playing a Disney princess in a movie and hopes that this is the feeling that many others will feel when they see The Little Mermaid.
"I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special, and that they should be a princess in every single way. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be. That reassurance was something that I needed.”
The casting of Bailey was not without its criticism, even if it was mostly well-received. Some people felt that the fictional mermaid should not have a different skin color with her switch over to live-action, and the hashtag #NotMyAriel was getting thrown around on Twitter. Obviously, that criticism was unpleasant for Bailey to see. However, it only led to her feeling that her casting was that much more important after speaking with her grandparents and hearing about their own memories of racism and discrimination they'd endured all throughout their lives.
“It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you... What that would have done for me, how that would have changed my confidence, my belief in myself, everything. Things that seem so small to everyone else, it’s so big to us.”
Halle Bailey Nailed Her Audition to Secure the Role of Ariel
When finding the right person to cast for Ariel, director Rob Marshall knew that the production had found her when Halle Bailey entered the fray. He had a feeling about her after seeing her perform alongside sister Chloe, as part of the duo Chloe x Halle, at the 2019 Grammy Awards. While her singing talent had been established, Marshall was curious to see how well Bailey could act and had her audition for the role by singing Ariel's signature tune "Part of Your World." When the song was finished, it was obvious that Bailey had secured the casting.
“Halle had this incredible facility to be able to dig deep, find the truth of Ariel’s passion and her heart. It was like watching a great film actor being born. When she finished, I was in tears because she’s so soulful. You could tell right away that she was able to harness Ariel’s passion, her fire, her soul, her joy, and her heart.”
The Little Mermaid will be released in movie theaters on May 26, 2023.