With just three months away from the release of Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” Halle Bailey is opening up about the racist backlash she endured when it was first announced she had been cast to play Ariel. Some people felt as if Bailey was the wrong choice for the role purely because she’s an African-American woman, and since the character has always been seen as a fair-toned mermaid, fans were upset that Disney had cast an actress of color to take on the part.
Now, in a new interview with The Face, Bailey expressed how she wasn’t exactly shocked by the negative response she received from certain people, though it did spark a wide conversation on why people felt Ariel couldn’t be portrayed by a Black woman. Not to mention that Bailey received even more criticism when the first teaser dropped last fall, with some arguing that they couldn’t see the resemblance between Bailey and the Ariel they grew up watching in the animated films and TV series.
“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore.”
“The Little Mermaid” star Halle Bailey opens up about racist backlash after being cast as Ariel. @sramosabc reports. https://t.co/iTwACnxQbf pic.twitter.com/T09DpVdWDt
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 24, 2023
“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” the “Do It” singer explained. “People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves.” And while Bailey did receive a lot of negativity for the role, the black community begged to differ by sharing videos of their daughters filled with amazement a seeing a Black woman as Ariel, which she said had left her “in disbelief.”
”It makes me feel more grateful for where I am.” Some of the things that were pointed out by those who haven’t exactly warmed up to Bailey playing Ariel include her authentic identity, Disney producers agreeing to have the 22-year-old sport her locs instead of trying to mimic the 1989 animated classic by giving her long red hair.
“As a Black woman, hair is spiritual, especially locs,” she said, saying that a great amount of time was spent just trying to figure out how her hair would move in water to avoid any issues once filming commenced.
A new teaser of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey, is out pic.twitter.com/SpEp9uhVs9
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 15, 2023
Bailey had previously revealed how she leaned on the support of her family — particularly her grandparents — who kept her spirits high at a time where it seemed the backlash for being cast as Ariel didn’t seem to be slowing down.
Bailey said that it was her grandparents telling her how big this moment was for the Black community and kids around the world that ultimately pushed her to silence out the hate and focus on the bigger picture.