Halle Bailey admits she felt pressure to do the best job possible after taking on the iconic role of Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid
The actress, 22, has been a lifelong fan of the 1989 Disney original – based on the Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen – and didn’t want to disappoint fans with her portrayal of the red-headed mermaid.
But her acting inevitably drew ire from a minority of fans, with some claiming that she was unsuitable for the role because of her race.
I told H! News: “I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I’ve cherished it since I was a little girl, I pushed myself a little bit.”
“Just because I want to convey all the feelings that I saw as a little girl.”
UNDER PRESSURE: Halle Bailey reveals the ‘pressure’ she felt while taking on the iconic role of The Little Mermaid’s Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake
The actress also insisted that she gave her “110%” for the film and is proud of herself and her performance in the upcoming adaptation.
The film, which also stars Jonah Hauer King, Art Malik, Noma Domzoini, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy, begins general release from May 26, 2023.
Just days after the movie’s first trailer sent waves of racist trolls out of the woodwork, Haley found support from another big-screen mermaid in Daryl Hannah.
Big fins to fill you in: The actress revealed that she was a fan of the 1989 Disney original and didn’t want to disappoint fans with her portrayal of the red-headed mermaid.
The blonde beauty, 61, played mermaid Madison in 1983’s Splash, alongside Tom Hanks, and showed her support for the young actress on Twitter.
“The Little Mermaid is black / I met her / There!” Hannah tweeted with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork.
The actress’ praise comes after Jodi Benson — the voice actress who portrayed the original Ariel in the animated classic — also showed her support.
ORIGINAL: She said, “I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I’ve cherished it since I was a little girl, I put a little pressure on myself” (scene from the original filmed)
Popcorn Ready: The movie, which also stars Jonah Hauer King, Art Malik, Noma Domezoini, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy, with David Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina in voice roles, hits theaters May 26, 2023.
The tweet garnered more than 4.5k retweets and more than 42k likes in less than a day after it was posted on Wednesday night.
Bailey herself didn’t respond to Hannah, or the original voice of The Little Mermaid, Jodi Benson, 60, who showed her support on her Instagram story.
“Haley, you were absolutely amazing! I am so proud of you and your beautiful performance as Ariel,” Benson began.
SUPPORT: Hannah, 61, played mermaid Madison in 1983’s Splash, alongside Tom Hanks, and showed her support for 22-year-old Billie on Twitter
Black: “The Little Mermaid is black / I met her / There!” Hannah tweeted with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork
It was great celebrating with your family here at #d23expo and the amazing director Rob Marshall…
I am so grateful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating this amazing movie!!
Halle reposted the photo to her Instagram story with the caption: “Thank you so much… that means to me the world is coming from you!” You made Ariel a wizard for us.
AMAZING: “Hah, you were absolutely AMAZING! I am so proud of you and your beautiful performance as Ariel” Benson began.
The trailer debuted at the D23 Expo in Anaheim this past weekend, with diverse It reported on Tuesday that the video had more than 104 million global views.
In comparison, it has amassed far more views than many of Disney’s latest live-action adaptations such as Cruella (68 million views), Beauty and the Beast (94 million views), Aladdin (74 million views), and Maleficent 2 (62 million views). ).
However, the trailer also made headlines for amassing more than 2 million “dislikes”, compared to 865,000 likes.
The massive number of dislikes has now broken the record for dislikes for a major studio movie, surpassing the 1.6 million dislikes for 2016’s Ghostbusters trailer.
Aside from Benson, Bailey got support from other celebrities like Zendaya, Halle Berry, Keke Palmer, Ben Platt, Nicki Minaj, and Amanda Gorman after the trailer dropped.
Celebrity friends: Aside from Benson, Bailey got support from other celebrities like Zendaya, Halle Berry, Keke Palmer, Ben Platt, Nicki Minaj, and Amanda Gorman after the trailer dropped
Release: The trailer debuted at the D23 Expo in Anaheim this past weekend, with Variety reporting Tuesday that the video has more than 104 million views worldwide.
