Three years after the release of Disney’s live-action film The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey is reflecting on her experience playing Ariel and how the controversy that erupted over her casting ultimately felt liberating. Racist trolls were furious at Disney for casting a black actor to play Ariel, and Bailey became the target of online harassment from toxic fans. However, she never looks back on the film’s release negatively.
At the press tour for her latest romantic comedy, You Me and Tuscany, Bailey told The Independent that The Little Mermaid was “a beautiful experience for me. I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside me. I learned how to block out the noise.”
“How can I explain…” she continued. “It was actually liberating to be in the middle of this conversation where there are so many different opinions being thrown around, and so many opposites of each other…It felt like I was looking at myself in a glass and seeing how people reacted to it. I did… Growing up in this industry really hone your self-awareness, and for me it’s grounding in a way. I know some people disagree, but I always think to myself, ‘None of this is true.’
Bailey explained that she often goes out into nature to get the perspective she needs to stay calm in Hollywood. “I love feeling small, realizing that the world is so big and beautiful and I’m just a small part of it. The fact that I’m here is a blessing and I’m grateful[to be in music and acting]but at the same time, that’s not what’s important in life. What’s important is to stay grounded and hold on to the people you love.”
Months before The Little Mermaid was released in theaters in May 2023, Bailey told The Face that the racist backlash she received after being cast as Ariel was “to be expected as a black person” and that it “no longer shocks me.”
“When[Chloe and I]first signed to Parkwood,[Beyoncé]always said, ‘I never read my comments. I never read comments,'” she added at the time. “Honestly, I was at the D23 Expo when the teaser came out, and I was so happy. I didn’t see any negativity at all. I know people think, ‘It’s not about race.'” But now I’m her… People don’t understand that when you’re black, there’s a whole other community. It is very important for us to look at ourselves. ”
Bailey previously told Variety that her family helped her drown out the backlash when the hashtag #NotMyAriel started trending on TV Show X. Bailey’s grandparents shared with her memories of the racism and discrimination they faced during their lifetimes.
“It was so moving and amazing to hear words of encouragement like, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, and for all the little black and brown girls who are finding themselves in you,'” she said.
The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall later told Entertainment Weekly that there was “no plan” when it came to casting Ariel, and that his team auditioned “all ethnicities” for the role before deciding to cast Ariel.
“We were just looking for the best actor for the role, at the end of the day,” Marshall said. “We looked at every person, every ethnicity.[The goal was]to find someone who was incredibly strong, passionate, beautiful, smart, wise (and) had a lot of passion and joy.”
Visit The Independent’s website to read Bailey’s full profile.
