The promotional campaign in support of Disney’s upcoming “The Little Mermaid” live-action remake is in full force, with less than a month until the film enters theaters. Ahead of its release, Halle Bailey graces the cover of V Magazine’s V142 Summer issue as she talks about how she prepared herself to star in what’s bound to become the biggest movie of her career so far. The 23-year-old spent a year and a half filming out in London amid the coronavirus pandemic, which subsequently meant she wasn’t going to be around her family for a while – particularly her sister, Chloe, who she says she’s extremely close to.
“It was this shock of suddenly finding out that I’d have to move to London–and then the pandemic happened. So suddenly, I found myself in London isolated by myself, the borders were closed, the world was shut down, and my family couldn’t even come visit me.” Bailey continued by telling the magazine how being thrown into a whole different life out in the UK was eerily similar to her character, Ariel, because of how lonely she felt at first. Looking back on it, however, the “Do It” singer said she was “glad that it was happening that way because it was almost like somebody showing me exactly how she felt and what she was going through.”
Bailey further revealed that she doesn’t actually have any dialogue for half of the film, saying she was simply acting with her facial expressions, which required a lot of physical exercises. She learned to find patience but also find her own voice and know what to do with it. When asked what she thought children would learn from the film, Bailey expressed that there’s a key theme of going after your dreams and your passions, “especially when you feel like there’s something greater for you, go after it.”
Bailey’s casting in the upcoming film was a groundbreaking moment for black girls and women, who have been underrepresented in mainstream media for far too long.
Whitewashing, the practice of casting white actors in roles that should go to people of color, has a long and troubling history in Hollywood. From the casting of white actors as Native Americans in classic westerns to Scarlett Johansson playing an Asian character in Ghost in the Shell, Hollywood has a long history of ignoring the importance of representation.
Representation matters because it allows people of color to see themselves reflected in mainstream media. When we see people who look like us on screen, it sends a powerful message that our stories matter and that we are valued in society.
Unfortunately, as soon as Bailey’s casting was announced, the backlash began. Many people took to social media to express their outrage that Ariel, a fictional character who has always been depicted as white, was being played by a black actress. The comments ranged from subtle racism to outright hate speech.
One of the most common arguments against Bailey’s casting was that it was “ruining childhoods” and “disrespectful to the original.” However, these arguments ignore the fact that The Little Mermaid is a work of fiction and that the story can be adapted in any number of ways.
