Halle Bailey as Ariel Halle Bailey takes on the lead role of Ariel, the curious and enchanting youngest daughter of King Triton. Bailey, a talented singer-songwriter and actress, has garnered five Grammy nominations for her musical contributions.
Disney Had The Best Response To The Ariel Casting Backlash
The Little Mermaid casting backlash began as soon as Disney announced the role of Ariel went to Halle Bailey in 2019. While Disney didn't issue a response to the bigoted comments about Bailey's casting at the time, another Disney-owned company did.
Jodi Benson portrayed Ariel in Disney's 1990 animation, and the actor makes an appearance in the 2023 edition of the tale. She plays a resident of the island, whom Bailey's Ariel meets when visiting a local market with Prince Eric.
The new version stars Halle Bailey, most known for her role in the Grammy-nominated Chloe x Halle R&B duo, as Ariel in the actress's first starring feature film role. This casting of a Black woman as the iconic mermaid has made waves.
As Ariel is half fish, she cannot be categorized by our ethnicities and races. The animated “Little Mermaid” movie only portrayed her with light skin and red hair because that was the American interpretation at the time.
BECKY CITIZEN TV 30TH NOVEMBER 2023 part 1&2 COMBINED
Is Queen Latifah in The New Little Mermaid?
(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.
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.
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.
A noticeable absence from this film: Ariel's shell bra.
I just think we wanted to have a more fishlike quality to the girls. Having them all plonk seashells on their breasts seemed like a weird way to go. And when you start putting shells on real bodies, it's hard to make them look good, believe me.
Even the smallest of details point towards Ariel being autistic, such as her toe-walking and her discomfort in human clothes, a struggle that resonates with autistic people all around the world.
How much did Halle Bailey get paid for 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.
Scuttle is not only changed from male to female but is also now a diving bird instead of a seagull. "This was done specifically so that Ariel would only meet Scuttle underwater, because, at the start of our story, Ariel has never dared go above the surface," director Rob Marshall said in production notes.
Alongside stars like Halle Bailey as Ariel, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, the performances by Tremblay and his castmates will make audiences everywhere yearn to be part of their world.
The live-action remake of The Little Mermaid used CGI to create its underwater scenes and bring the sea life to life, including characters like Sebastian, Scuttle, and Flounder.
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!"
The reported box office result of The Little Mermaid 2023 remake is about $560 million. On paper, these numbers look good. The film grossed over $298 million domestically and more than $263 million internationally.
Of course, the animated mermaids are the daughters of King Triton and Queen Athena, but that may change in the live-action version with the implication that Ariel's sisters have different mothers.
Director Rob Marshall reveals what it was like seeing Halle Bailey's initial audition for Ariel. “The first actor we saw for this role was Halle. The first thing she did is she came in and sang for us.
