Halle Bailey is a lady with style and grace—and knows how to roll with the punches. Since landing the role as Ariel in the live-action remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the “Do It” singer revealed what it was like to see racist trolls flooding the comments and how she was able to ignore it.
“Seeing the world’s reaction to it was definitely a shock, but seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and Black young girls, really tore me up emotionally,” Bailey, 22, told Edition Modern Luxury. “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?”
Last August, the GRAMMY-nominated artist expounded upon what the film and its representation personally means to her.
“Her sense of longing, her searching for herself, was something that I could resonate with,” Bailey explained. “She knew where she wanted to go, and she wasn’t going to let anybody stop her. I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special and that they should be a princess in every single way.”
With Ariel being her favorite princess since childhood, the Grown-ish alum revealed what viewers can expect from her portrayal of the beloved animation. “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 stated. “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, and I’m glad that Disney is updating some of those themes.”
Watch the official trailer below.