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.
Why is Halle Bailey's hair not red in Little Mermaid?
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. And she looks so good. “It was super important for me to have my natural hair in this film,” Halley told Ebony magazine.
Did Ariel have red hair in the original Little Mermaid?
In the original, Ariel's character has fire-engine red hair. By contrast, in the live-action version, Ariel's hair appears to be a more muted shade of red.
Halle was more than happy to become a redhead for the Disney film, but the actress felt it was important to do it on her terms, with her natural locs. Speaking to Ebony magazine, she explained: "It was super important for me to have my natural hair in this film.
How did they do Halle Baileys hair for The Little Mermaid?
The film's hair department head Camille Friend said in an interview with Variety that it was important to her and Halle that they kept Halle's natural hair, and they elected to not use a wig. Camille also recently worked on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Halle Bailey Reveals Why She's Hiding Pregnancy With DDG
Why isn't the new Ariel's hair red?
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.
Did Halle Bailey wear a wig for The Little Mermaid?
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. Friend said it took 12-14 hours to finish Halle's hair.
He says they were looking for the best actor for the role of any ethnicity who could not only sing but convey traits such as strength, passion, beauty, joy and intelligence, which they found in Bailey.
How much did Halle Bailey's hair cost for Little Mermaid?
Who knew being a mermaid could be this expensive? Not us. While many of us were simply looking forward to Halle sporting some red hair, hairstylist, Camille Friend, recently revealed that the mermaid-worthy hair cost a jaw-dropping $150,000 to create.
What color is Halle Bailey's hair in Little Mermaid?
The 30-inch long hair was custom-colored and fused in with Keratin tips. “It's three shades of red,” says Friend, who found the hair at Extensions Plus in Chatsworth. “I'm not guesstimating, but we probably spent at least $150,000 because we had to redo it and take it out.
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.
“I had done a photoshoot for Disney a few years back where Annie Leibowitz shot me as Ursula,” Queen Latifah told “GMA” in an exclusive interview. “So when this popped up, it was like, OK, a TV production. Alright … Once they explained to me the way that they wanted to do it, I thought it was interesting.”
When it was announced that Halle Bailey would be taking on the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, there were some people a little confused and instead were under the impression that it was actually Oscar-winning actress Halle Berrywho had been cast.
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.
While Ariel is 16 years old in Disney animated The Little Mermaid film, her love interest is not the same age. The character's voice actor, Christopher Daniel Barnes, was just 16 years old at the time of recording the film, leading to the assumption that the character was intended to be the same age.
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.
Diversity. Ariel had 3 male animal friends, so they needed to make one a girl. Same reason they made Jock a girl (Jacqueline aka Jacque) in the Lady & The Tramp live-action remake.
In Anderson's telling and the original Disney film, the mermaid possessed white skin. In Disney's upcoming live action version of the story, Ariel will be portrayed by black actress and singer Halle Bailey.
“I think out of everything, that's the thing that gets under my skin the most when people are comparing us because we are best friends, we're sisters," she said. "Sometimes we forget that we're not twins and it's like, don't mess with my blood.
She ultimately used three shades of red to make it the perfect Ariel shade. Friend said because of the amount of color and its length, they "probably spent at least $150,000," because they "had to redo it and take it out."
