There were a lot of very confused people a few years ago when it was revealed that Halle Bailey had been cast as the live-action Ariel and people, who did not know Bailey from her music career, believed that Halle Berry had been cast in the role.
Jodi Benson and Rob Marshall, her director on this year's The Little Mermaid, have a friendship that dates back 40 years. Before Benson became the voice of Disney's Ariel in the original 1989 animated classic, she was a thespian on the New York City theater scene.
The film, which was released in the UK on Friday 26 May, sees Halle take on the titular character of Ariel, a mermaid who's one wish is to see what's beyond the sea. While Halle keeps Ariel's signature red hair for the film, she decided to keep her natural locs for the role but dyed them a copper colour instead.
Halle Bailey's rendition of “Part of Your World” (as Ariel), was issued as the lead single from the project, and the new Little Mermaid soundtrack will also feature favorites like “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl” (with revamped lyrics) and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” sung by Melissa McCarthy's Ursula.
Halle Bailey - Performs “Part of Your World” at Disneyland
Does Halle Bailey really sing?
Director Rob Marshall said that Bailey "possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance—plus a glorious singing voice—all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role". In an interview with Deadline, Marshall expressed that he was brought to tears by Bailey's singing.
(MORE: 'Little Mermaid Live': Who will play Ariel, Ursula, Sebastian and more!) Queen Latifah stars alongside actress Auli'i Cravalho who will play Ariel and reggae singer Shaggy who will play Ariel's friend, Sebastian.
The physical transformation of Halle did take some time, effort, and money to help her become the character of Ariel. According to Variety, Halle Bailey wished to stay true to her Black heritage and show her natural hair in the movie. So, hair extensions were used rather than a wig.
How much did Halle Bailey get paid for The Little Mermaid?
It's believed that Bailey made about $1.5 million for her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, but that number could increase depending on how well the film performs opening weekend and beyond.
Disney's Ariel is not the same as Anderson's little mermaid. The movie is loosely based on the fairy tale, so Disney has the freedom to give Ariel any skin color they want. In the 1989 movie, Ariel was born in the fictional underwater kingdom of Atlantica, which technically makes her Atlantican, not Danish.
In this novel, Ursula is King Triton's younger sister who was betrayed by him as a child for choosing a tentacled form instead of a mermaid's tail, and grew up as a human in the town of Ipswich with an adoptive human father.
Disney's live-action “The Little Mermaid” had “no agenda” when it came to the casting of Ariel, director Rob Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. The “Chicago” and “Into the Woods” director said his team auditioned “every ethnicity” for the role before landing on singer Halle Bailey.
Did Queen Latifah play Ursula in The Little Mermaid?
Queen Latifah portrayed the singing sea witch, voiced by Pat Carroll in the animated film and previously played onstage by Rebel Wilson, Harvey Fierstein and Sherie Rene Scott.
Again. ABC announced Wednesday that the Fuller House star has been added to the star-studded cast of the network's The Little Mermaid Live!, set to air on Nov. 5. Stamos will play Chef Louis, a role he first played at the Hollywood Bowl's production of the Disney animated classicin 2016.
The hair that was added was Keratin-infused, three different shades of red, and 30 inches long — which meant the price tag was high. “I'm not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out," Friend said. "You couldn't use it and we'd have to start again.
One theory is that each of Ariel's sisters represents different oceans that are home to various cultures and ethnicities. It's pretty problematic to have mermaids who all look the same representing such an expansive underwater world.
Obviously, modifications are required anytime you adapt animation to live-action, but Bailey and the beauty department had to reimagine Ariel as a woman of color too. Bailey and the team opted to keep her hair red—that was essential—but opted for copper locs to make it her own.
In Andersen's fairy tale, the Little Mermaid is described as follows: "her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest sea." And if you're wondering if Andersen's Little Mermaid had that signature bright red hair that has become synonymous with mermaids, the answer is unclear.
“I remember the first thumbnail sketches,” Benson tells EW of the first iterations of Ariel. “She had blonde hair. She looked like one of the exaggerated faces from [the] Peter Pan era. She looked a little bit glamorous and a little bit mature to me.”
At the BET Awards 2021, during her acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement Award, she publicly acknowledged her partner Eboni Nichols and son Rebel for the first time, ending the speech with "happy Pride!"
