In 2019, The Walt Disney Company announced that actress Halle Bailey, best known for her work on ABC’s “Grown-ish” and as one half of the popular R&B singing duo Chloe and Halle, will portray the iconic Disney Princess, Ariel, in the live-action remake live “The Little Mermaid.”
Although, soon after the announcement, Disney fans took to social media to express their dismay over the Disney Princess cast and the hashtag #NotMyAriel instantly started trending.
The backlash continues even years after the announcement as a new trailer for the upcoming live-action film has just been released. Now, Bailey is dealing with that backlash again.
Hallie Bailey Admits She ‘Expected’ Backlash
Instagram | Halle Bailey
Disney dropped another trailer for the upcoming live-action movie last week, which sparked more backlash from racist fans, attacking Disney and Halle Bailey.
“The live action should reproduce the anime to the maximum to show their respect. Halle is a perfect singer but not the right actress for Ariel. Ariel’s skin is white, her hair is red and her eyes are blue and this cannot be changed. #NotMyAriel,” a fan tweeted using the hashtag #NotMyAriel.
As another one write“I don’t care what people say, I’m not watching the little mermaid (even though it’s available on @DisneyPlus @DisneyStudios you only have one job, and you’re being silly. It’s not a singing competition. #NotMyAriel.”
These are just two of the thousands of Tweets received from fans, some of which are extremely harsh and racist. Halle Bailey admits to being aware of the racist backlash, though she admits she expected it.
“As a black person, you just expect it and it’s not a surprise anymore,” Bailey told The Face in a new interview. “When [Chlöe and I] first signed a contract with Parkwood, [Beyoncé] always like: ‘I never read my comments. Never read the comments.’ Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo and I was so happy. I don’t see anything negative.”
He added, “I know people who are like: ‘This isn’t about race.’ But now I’m him…People don’t understand that when you’re black, there’s a whole other community. It’s so important that we look at ourselves.”
Director Rob Marshall Speaks
Disney
“The Little Mermaid” director Rob Marshall recently spoke about the decision to cast Halle Bailey as Ariel, saying he had “no agenda” because he and his team were just looking for “the best actress for the role, period.” He also said they auditioned from “every ethnicity” throughout the process before they decided to give Bailey the lead role.
“We’re just looking for the best actor for the role, period. The bottom line,” Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. “We looked at everybody and every ethnicity. [The goal was to find someone who can be] very strong, passionate, beautiful, smart, clever [and with] much fire and joy.”
When it comes to the decision to cast Halle Bailey, her voice is on top. “That voice was something so special and so delicate and so beautiful that it captured Eric’s heart and he searched for it for the whole movie,” Marshall continues to explain.
‘The Little Mermaid’
Disney
The upcoming live-action film will star Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay as Flounder.
Disney’s live action “The Little Mermaid” hits theaters on May 26, 2023.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
