Halle Bailey opened up about dealing with the racist comments from the internet after the release of her ‘The Little Mermaid’ trailer, in a recent interview with Edition magazine.
“Seeing the world’s reaction to it was definitely a shock,” the star admitted, “but seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and Black young girls, really tore me up emotionally.”
Bailey further added, “It’s honestly been such a crazy ride, and I genuinely feel shocked and honored and grateful to be in this position. A lot of times, I have to pinch myself and be like, is this real life?”
According to Bailey, she has always cherished the role of Ariel, the mermaid princess who embarks on various quests to discover herself.
“I feel like I learned so much through her. I auditioned when I was 18, got the role when I was 19, and I turn 23 this year. So, I genuinely feel like [Ariel’s] helped me grow up. I pushed myself as far as I’ve ever pushed myself in life,” she recalled. “And I feel like the message from her was to know that you’ve always had it in you.”
Bailey says her Ariel won’t just ‘leave the ocean for a boy’
The actress also hinted that there may be some changes in Ariel’s motivations in the upcoming remake. “I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy,” she said. “It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants.”
“As women we are amazing, we are independent, we are modern, we are everything and above,” Bailey added. “And I’m glad that Disney is updating some of those themes.”