Photo by: Matt Winkel Meyer/Staff
Singer Halle Bailey can’t believe she’s been cast as Ariel in the live-action remake of the Disney classic film, The Little Mermaid.
The 21-year-old reflected on the emotional moment on Tina Knowles-Lawson’s talk show, Talks with Mama Tina, as she discussed the casting decision.
Photo by: Noam Galai/Stringer
“Getting that role felt very surreal,” Bailey said. “It was much of a shocker for me. Even when I was asked to audition, I looked at it and I was like, ‘Me? For Ariel?’”
The Atlanta native was most known for her music as part of the Grammy-nominated R&B duo Chloe x Halle and her performance on the TV show Grown-ish before being cast for the lead role.
“My image of Ariel that I’ve had is the red hair, the pale skin and the tail, and she was amazing to me,” she expressed.
She continued.
“I loved her, like we all did. But that’s what I’ve seen her as for so long.”
According to HuffPost, the iconic figure of the Little Mermaid in the 1989 film was voiced by Jodi Benson. However, the character’s likeness was based on other young actresses at the time, including Alyssa Milano.
“I remember being so scared and so nervous,” Bailey exclaimed.
She even revealed that she began “sobbing” when her dad went through the lines with her father.
“I’m just like, ‘I can’t believe I’m even gonna go for this,’” she revealed.
Her emotional responses didn’t stop at the audition; she was also on the verge of crying during the filming.
“Going into the filming process, I had to learn and say to myself that you can do it and it’s okay, and that my sister is here, and she was. It was just a beautiful experience for me to kind of spread my wings in that way,” she said.
Although the audition process was unexpectedly emotional for the actress, she was delighted to be able to reimagine the character for a new generation of children.
Photo by: 2020 Billboard Women In Music/Contributor
“But [I’m] so grateful that I kind of get to reinvent Ariel and show other young, beautiful Black and brown children that hey, you can be this too,” she said. “You are magical and mythical and all of the wonderful things in between as well.”
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