The Little Mermaid Cast Interviews

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Source: deadline.com/2023/05/the-little-mermaid-halle-bailey-black-mermaid-would-have-changed-her-whole-life-1235374037/

A Black Mermaid Would Have Changed Her Life, Says ‘Little Mermaid’ Star Halle Bailey
By Caroline Frost

Caroline Frost

May 20, 2023 4:52am


Halle Bailey stars as The Little Mermaid
Disney

The star of Disney’s big-budget live action remake of The Little Mermaid, due in theaters on May 26, says seeing a black mermaid on screen when she was younger would have “changed my whole life.”

Halle Bailey told the UK’s Guardian:

“If I would have had a black mermaid, that would have been insane, that would have changed my whole perspective, my whole life, my confidence, my self-worth. You’re able to see a person who looks like you, when you’re young? Some people are just like, oh, it’s whatever, because they’ve had it their whole life. It’s nothing to them. But it’s so important.”

When it was announced, back in 2019, that Bailey had won the role, #NotMyAriel started trending on social media and has continued to be a response to new posters and trailers for the film, which also stars Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy.

Bailey told The Guardian of her feelings about this: “I mean, yeah. The world we live in today, just being a black woman, you have a certain awareness that comes with life, in general. So I wasn’t very surprised or shocked.”

Bailey, who was already a successful pop star with her sister Chloe, was asked by Mermaid director Rob Marshall to audition after he saw her perform at the Grammys.

Her previous acting roles include playing a younger Beyonce in the 2003 film The Fighting Temptations, and co-starring with her sister on the sitcom Grown-ish, where the pair plays siblings at university.

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Source: www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/20/halle-bailey-the-little-mermaid-interview-as-a-child-seeing-a-black-ariel-would-have-changed-my-life


Halle Bailey photographed in Los Angeles, May 2023. Styling: Anna Su. Bailey wears dress by Christian Siriano; ring by Bad Binch TongTong x MonSecret. Photograph: Erik Carter/The Guardian

The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey: ‘As a child, seeing a black Ariel would have changed my life’
From tween YouTube sensation, to pop star, to Beyoncé’s tour mate … now the actor and musician is about to star in the live-action remake of the Disney classic. She talks about overcoming self-doubt, her soulmate sister Chlöe, and a racist backlash

by Rebecca Nicholson
Sat 20 May 2023 07.00 BST

Inside Halle Bailey’s apartment, in West Hollywood, the 23-year-old singer and actor is glowing in the early morning sunlight. This is not interview hyperbole: she really looks as though she is glowing. Rob Marshall, the director of The Little Mermaid, said he cast her as Ariel because she had an “otherworldly sensibility”, and, instantly, you can see what he means. Yesterday, an important package arrived. It contains a collection of Disney merchandise: branded water bottles, shirts, Ariel dolls. This stuff, with her face on it, will soon to be in the homes of countless parents with small children all across the world. “I was astounded at how cool all of it is,” she says, sweetly. “Like, insane.”

Bailey is a Disney star cut from old-fashioned cloth. She is impossibly polite, awestruck by her new life as a Disney princess, ignoring the negativity – more on that later – and seemingly utterly lovely and unflappable, or at least well media-trained, or probably both. She offers opinions, but is careful to balance them out: she misses her home town of Atlanta, Georgia she says, but, equally, she loves Los Angeles. Somehow, despite the imminent release of a reported $150m-200m blockbuster that will ultimately rise or fall on her performance as a character already beloved by millions, she is perfectly calm.

The original Little Mermaid came out in 1989, as the Aids crisis raged, adapting the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale into an animated children’s film that remains a top five contender in any list of the best Disney films of all time. It has a history of being more subversive than it might initially appear. Ursula, the sea witch, was based on the drag queen Divine, while Ariel’s dissatisfaction with the constraints of her life under the sea have long been viewed as a metaphor for coming out. Or, if that doesn’t work for you, you might prefer to see the film as “a beautiful story about a young woman changing her core identity to please a man”, as the comedian Trevor Noah joked on The Daily Show last year.


Portrait of Halley Bailey in pink top and yellow jacket with feathers. Jacket by Valentino. Top by Rui. Jewellery by Leigh Miller.
Jacket by Valentino; top by Rui; jewellery by Leigh Miller. Photograph: Erik Carter/The Guardian

In 2019, it was announced that Bailey had been cast in the forthcoming live-action remake. At 19, she was already a pop star. As one half of the duo Chloe x Halle with her older sister, she had been in the public eye since they became YouTube famous as younger teens. “Suddenly, there are a lot more eyes on me than I ever would have thought,” she says, adding that she tries not to think about it. When news of her casting broke, the racially charged hashtag #NotMyAriel trended on Twitter. It continues to re-emerge when a new trailer or poster appears, with clips or teasers, for example, being strategically “downvoted”.

If we see anything negative about ourselves, of course, it’s going to hurt, or sting, a little bit
Given the extent of the noise, is it really possible not to think about it? “Yeah, we’re all human beings, so if we see anything negative about ourselves, of course it’s going to hurt or sting a little bit, especially remarks like those. I expected it, honestly.”

Her breezy front gives way a little. “I mean, yeah. The world we live in today, just being a black woman, you have a certain awareness that comes with life, in general. So I wasn’t very surprised or shocked. I think it’s just the way that you respond and move, and know that inside you’re worthy, and you’re here for a reason.”

Bailey received widespread public support, including from Jodi Benson, who voiced Ariel in the 1989 film, and Halle Berry, who tweeted: “This means so much! Can’t wait.” When the first teaser appeared in 2022, TikTok filled up with parents filming young black children, astonished and overjoyed at what they saw: this new Ariel, swimming up through the wreckage of the ship, into the light, was black, too. This is what mattered to her. “Because I feel like, if I would have had a black mermaid, that would have been insane, that would have changed my whole perspective, my whole life, my confidence, my self-worth. You’re able to see a person who looks like you, when you’re young? Some people are just like, oh, it’s whatever, because they’ve had it their whole life. It’s nothing to them. But it’s so important.”

Who did she look up to when she was growing up? “A lot of musicians, amazing black women who were singers, like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé … ” Her eldest sister, Ski, had Destiny’s Child posters on her bedroom wall. “I remember growing up and feeling like I had a lane I could pursue because of these women. They made me feel confident in the skin I was in.”

Bailey is one of four children. As well as Chlöe and Ski, she has a younger brother, Branson. They are all close. She was raised in Atlanta, and you can still hear traces of the accent. When she was about three, she began appearing in advertisements. “Little print commercials,” she explains. “People would come up to my mom and say, ‘Oh, they [she and Chlöe] should model’,” she says, laughing. “My mom was like, really? Sure. And next thing you know, I’m modelling and doing photoshoots and little commercials in Atlanta and things here and there.”

Acting wasn’t her main ambition. “Music took over when I was very young,” she says. Halle and Chlöe taught themselves how to play instruments by watching videos online. When they were 11 and 13 respectively, they posted a clip to YouTube, singing Beyoncé’s Best Thing I Never Had, and, later, Pretty Hurts. The videos took off in a big way. In 2012, their viral success earned them an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The whole family moved to Los Angeles, so that Chlöe and Halle could pursue their musical dreams. Their father, Doug, was their manager for a long time, though when I ask if that is still the case today, Bailey says it is not. “Mmm-nnn,” she says, shaking her head. When did that stop? “I don’t know the exact pinpoint for it. A few years ago? Maybe, like, two years ago?” The family ties are loosening: while Halle has made inroads into the Disney world, Chlöe has just released her first solo record.

Beyoncé is a big part of their success story. Chlöe had already played the younger version of Beyoncé’s character in the 2003 film The Fighting Temptations, about a gospel choir in Georgia. When Beyoncé set up her management company Parkwood Entertainment, Chloe x Halle, as they were then known, were one of the first acts she signed, giving those viral covers the official seal of approval. They toured arenas with her as her support act, and appeared in the videos for the album Lemonade. Is Beyoncé a mentor? A friend? “She’s all of the things, honestly. A mentor, a friend, a sister, an aunt,” says Bailey. “I mean, she’s an icon. She’s a legend. And the way that she just carries herself and holds herself – it feels as though she’s normal, like a regular human being. But I’m like, ‘You’re Beyoncé’,” she says, as if in awe.

There are moments when you sit with Beyoncé, and she’s a regular person. But then you see her become a superhero on stage
Even after all these years of working together, you still feel that way? “Yeah, of course! There’s moments where you sit with her, and she’s a regular person, like you and me,” she says, kindly. “It’s cool. But then you see her become a superhero on stage.” In 2020, Beyoncé presented the sisters with a Billboard Rising Star award. “You manage to shine in every room you enter, and I’ll always love you,” she said.


With her older sister Chlöe as Chloe x Halle, 2018. Photograph: Brian Stukes/Getty Images

Halle was 13 and her sister 15 when they became pop stars. As Chloe x Halle, they have released two albums, though in 2022 they got their own, individual social media accounts, and Chlöe released her solo album, which Halle is quick to plug (“Her album, In Pieces, is a beautiful, beautiful work of art”). I ask if it feels odd to be working on her own, after so long together. “It doesn’t feel odd or awkward at all,” she says, firmly. She is fiercely supportive of her sister, and says Chlöe is the same when it comes to her. “She’s a big part of the reason why I was able to be OK every time I walked on that Little Mermaid set. She came to London with me for the first month, just to make sure I was OK. She was like, ‘You’re good, you can do this’, and then she went back home.” Their “independent journeys”, as she puts it, were inevitable, “but we’re never far away from each other”.

Together, they were nominated for five Grammy awards, worked hard, played the game, toured the world. It meant that Halle essentially grew up in the spotlight. “It’s part of the reason why I feel so at home on stage, because that was my home for a lot of my childhood.”

Has it made her more mature than other 23-year-olds? I imagine not many of her peers were doing their homework on the tour bus, waiting to open for Beyoncé. “I feel more mature in certain areas of life,” she says. Business is easy for her, for example. “I feel like a woman when I’m in those lanes. But something so simple as being at home, or doing errands, I feel like, oh my gosh, this is a big deal.” She pauses. “Because I didn’t have the regular bricks-and-mortar way of schooling, I didn’t go to prom, I didn’t experience those things. So in my personal life, it feels like I’m experiencing a lot of things for the first time.”

Is it a kind of delayed adolescence? “Yeah. You said it perfectly. I guess it’s not just errands. It’s living alone for the first time.” She moved out of the family home three years ago, though much of that time was spent making The Little Mermaid in the UK. Now Chlöe has an apartment in the same building as Halle. “We’re on different floors,” Halle says. “So I have my own space, but we’re not too far from one another.” Chlöe’s cat, Apollo, occasionally makes an appearance on our video call, chasing Halle’s cat, Poseidon, around the room; she is cat-sitting while Chlöe is on tour.


Dress and jewellery by Rui; gloves by Seymoure. Photograph: Erik Carter/The Guardian

Domesticity is a new world. “To pay my own bills and keep up with the timings of things, things like that are, like, whoa,” she says. “Or being out at a club with my friends.” Is she able to go clubbing with her friends? “If I wear, like, shades and a mask. In LA, everybody is somebody, so people don’t really bother you. They kind of just leave you alone.”

Bailey was asked to audition for The Little Mermaid after Marshall saw her at the Grammys, with Chlöe, performing Where Is the Love, in tribute to Donny Hathaway. “I didn’t think it would be for Ariel. I thought it would be for one of the sisters, or something.” When she got the script, she realised what role she was up for.

She flew to New York, where Marshall and the producer John DeLuca talked to her about her family, calmed her nerves, and asked if she would rather sing or act first. “I’m comfortable singing, so I was like, ‘Well, maybe I’ll sing first.’ I just closed my eyes, and sang the song Part of Your World, and I remember opening them and seeing them crying. I remember instantly being scared that I had done something wrong.” You thought they were bad tears? “I thought, oh no! Then I realised, quickly, that they had liked it.”

Filming took place at Pinewood Studios, in Slough, about 20 miles west of London. It was supposed to begin in 2020, but almost as soon as Bailey arrived, the pandemic meant filming had to stop. When it restarted, she found she was alone a lot of the time. The city was largely closed. “Everything was shut down, it was almost like a ghost town. I had been staying close to Canary Wharf, by the water. I had said to myself, I want to be by one of the elements, so let me get by the river. That made me happy, to at least be able to wake up and see the water every day,” she says, in what might be one of the most romantic descriptions of Canary Wharf ever uttered. During her spare time, she made jewellery, and briefly set up an Etsy store to sell it. “Then it just got overwhelming. I was like, I have to stop, I can’t send all of these out!”

Filming required her to be in the air more than it did in the water. She was in a harness, pulled up high, simulating a swimming motion. “That’s how you get the sense of, like, I have no legs, and I’m a mermaid,” she explains, sincerely.

This might be a silly question, but did you have to swim with the tail on? She did not. “But, for example, when I’m pulling Prince Eric on to the shore, for the first time, I had to wear my tail. Because it was all about proportions. You know, she’s very long, and much bigger than Eric.”

Does it feel odd that the film is finally going to be out in the world? “Honestly, yes. I think the delay tricked my brain into thinking: oh yeah, that was a fever dream, that was crazy, maybe it’ll never come out. Now that I’m starting to see the trailers and the teasers, I’m like: who is that person I’m looking at? Wow, she feels so much different to who I am now.”

How is she different? “I was very shy, I almost felt like I was – and still am, in a way – in my shell. And, you know, it took a lot of courage and confidence, and me saying to myself, ‘You can do this’, because I think, as women, we do doubt ourselves a lot.”


Dress by Kate Barton; headpiece by Gucci; earrings by Leigh Miller. Styling: Anna Su. Hair: Tinisha Meeks. Makeup: Christiana Cassell. Photograph: Erik Carter/The Guardian

She had done some acting before; her biggest role had been on the sitcom Grown-ish, where she and Chlöe played siblings at university, compared in the show to “the twins from Tyler Perry’s The Shining”. But this was something else. She learned a lot, and learned it quickly. Melissa McCarthy, who plays the new Ursula, was a revelation. “She comes on set and says: ‘This is what I need, this is what I don’t need.’ I watched her, and I was like, wow, you can do that?”

“That girl has got roots down and she sings from her heart,” McCarthy told a US chatshow last year, adding that she, too, burst into tears when she heard Bailey’s version of Part of Your World for the first time. “She’s a remarkable young woman.”

At 23, Bailey seems to have fulfilled many of her dreams. After The Little Mermaid, she was cast as the young Nettie in the forthcoming musical adaptation of The Color Purple. She got to go home to Atlanta for a few months to film it. “I guess I’m just trying to adopt certain characteristics about these women that I play, that teach me a lot about who I want to be.”

Given the pressure, I’m struck by how serene she seems. “Really? That’s something that my sister has tried to pull out of me. I feel like with this industry, it’s easy to get caught up in the hoopla, but I always like to remind myself, none of this really matters,” she says, sweetly, gratefully, peacefully, with all the warmth and loveliness that a Disney princess should possess.

The Little Mermaid is released on 26 May.

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Italian article: www.ilmessaggero.it/video/spettacoli/javier_bardem_e_il_cast_de_la_sirenetta_un_film_che_ci_insegna_a_non_aver_paura_del_diverso-7419376.html

Javier Bardem e il cast de “La Sirenetta”: «Un film che ci insegna a non aver paura del diverso»


La Sirenetta racconta l'amata storia di Ariel, una bellissima e vivace giovane sirena in cerca di avventura. Ariel, la figlia più giovane di Re Tritone e la più ribelle, desidera scoprire di più sul mondo al di là del mare e, mentre esplora la superficie, si innamora dell'affascinante principe Eric. Alle sirene è vietato interagire con gli umani, ma Ariel deve seguire il suo cuore e stringe un patto con la malvagia strega del mare, Ursula, che le offre la possibilità di sperimentare la vita sulla terraferma, mettendo però in pericolo la sua vita e la corona di suo padre. Il film è interpretato dalla cantante e attrice Halle Bailey (grown-ish) nel ruolo di Ariel; Jonah Hauer-King (Un viaggio a quattro zampe) nel ruolo del principe Eric; Noma Dumezweni (Il Ritorno di Mary Poppins) nel ruolo della Regina; Art Malik (Homeland – Caccia alla spia) nel ruolo di Sir Grimsby; con il vincitore del premio Oscar® Javier Bardem (Non è un paese per vecchi) nel ruolo di Re Tritone; e con la due volte candidata all’Academy Award® Melissa McCarthy (Copia originale, Le amiche della sposa) nel ruolo di Ursula. Nella versione italiana del film, la cantante Yana_C e la doppiatrice Sara Labidi prestano le proprie voci, rispettivamente nelle canzoni e nei dialoghi, alla bellissima e vivace giovane sirena Ariel; mentre l’attrice, cantante, doppiatrice e docente di doppiaggio Simona Patitucci, che aveva doppiato la protagonista nel classico d’animazione, è la voce della malvagia strega del mare Ursula. Tra le voci italiane del film anche l’autore e cantante stimato nella scena italiana e internazionale Mahmood, nel ruolo dell’iconico personaggio di Sebastian. La Sirenetta è diretto dal candidato all’Oscar® Rob Marshall (Chicago, Il Ritorno di Mary Poppins), con una sceneggiatura del due volte candidato all’Oscar David Magee (Vita di Pi, Neverland – Un sogno per la vita). (Servizio a cura di Eva Carducci)

Video here: www.ilmessaggero.it/video/spettacoli/javier_bardem_e_il_cast_de_la_sirenetta_un_film_che_ci_insegna_a_non_aver_paura_del_diverso-7419376.html

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Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King Take The BFF Test

BuzzFeed UK
24 mag 2023

Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King from The Little Mermaid find out how much they really know about each other ✨💕

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Halle Bailey's Beyoncé Impression Is Uncanny | First Impressions | @ladbible

LADbible TV

25 mag 2023 #LADbible #UNILAD

Stars of The Little Mermaid Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel, and Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric, play a very entertaining game of First Impressions.

In this episode, Halle does an uncanny impression of her mentor and friend, Beyoncé, she also does an incredible Jennifer Coolidge and Ariana Grande. Meanwhile, Jonah does a brilliant Sir David Attenborough, but a questionable impression of The Rock. Great game guys!

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The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey & Jonah Hauer-King on scream therapy, baecations & marmite

Woo

25 mag 2023

woo caught up with the stars of The Little Mermaid Halle Bailey & Jonah Hauer-King, to discuss their favourite wellness activities (scream therapy for fire sign Halle) and the mutually agreed-upon importance of a digital detox.

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HALLE BAILEY DOENSN'T KNOW BRITISH SLANG! | The Little Mermaid

KISS

24 mag 2023 #TheLittleMermaid

If #TheLittleMermaid wants to go 'Under The Sea' let's test her on her swimming knowledge! Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer King try British slang, the best way to be a wingman and Halle shares a secret cameo from Jodi Benson... we're here for it!

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Why 'The Little Mermaid' Cast Will Never Forget Filming "Kiss the Girl"

IMDb

25 mag 2023 #MelissaMcCarthy #HalleBailey #thelittlemermaid

IMDb goes under the sea with the cast of ‘The Little Mermaid' to discover why “Kiss The Girl” was so fun to film, #MelissaMcCarthy’s secret talents, what made director Rob Marshall ask #HalleBailey to audition for the role of Ariel, the history of Alan Menken’s new musical partnership with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the influence of real ballet dancers on the choreography for “Under the Sea,” and more. #thelittlemermaid

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Source: www.bustle.com/entertainment/halle-bailey-beyonce-advice-first-kiss

At 14, Halle Bailey Got This Advice From Beyoncé
The Little Mermaid star spent her early teen years performing with her sister — and daydreaming about her first kiss.

by Jake Viswanath
May 25, 2023


When she was 14, Halle Bailey was living in Los Angeles with her older sister, Chlöe Bailey — and already making her dreams come true. The pair had started a YouTube channel two years prior, and after their cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” went viral in 2013, the then-teenage sisters from Atlanta found themselves with a rare opportunity to build real careers out of flash-in-the-pan fame.

Shortly after, they’d sign with Beyoncé’s management company, Parkwood Entertainment, and hit the road as an opening act on the megastar’s Formation World Tour. “I remember being so excited seeing the world,” says Halle, now 23. “I was doing my homeschooling while on the road, so it was a very intense lifestyle, but I loved being on the tour bus. I just remember thinking, ‘I’m grateful, and this is really cool.’”

As Chloe x Halle, the duo released two studio albums, earned five Grammy nominations, and continued touring under Bey’s mentorship. They also booked their first TV roles together, as Jazz and Sky Forster on the black-ish spin-off grown-ish. Now, the two remain a united front, even as they focus on ambitious solo projects: Chlöe’s debut solo album In Pieces, released in March, and Halle’s first lead in a feature film, as Ariel in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid out May 26. She’s only the second-ever Black Disney princess, following The Princess and the Frog’s Tiana in 2009.

It’s a future Bailey’s 14-year-old self couldn’t have imagined. “I do not want to cry right now, but I think she’d be so proud of me and I think she would be in disbelief that we are playing one of my favorite characters of all time,” she says. “If somebody were to tell me, ‘In five years, you’re going to be Ariel,’ I [would have been] like, ‘Child, you lying. Stop lying.’”

Below, Bailey opens up about her first celebrity crush, the advice Beyoncé gave her at 14, and her love for The Jerry Springer Show.

How were you feeling about the prospect of fame in 2014, just as you were starting out?

The goal was to be able to pursue my love of music and do what I love for a living, [even if it was] at a club in Atlanta on the smallest of scales. As long as I was fulfilling that need, then I was OK without having fame or anything. I think after fame comes, it’s like, “Wow, this is interesting and honestly overwhelming,” but that was never the goal.

Aside from acting and music, what were your hobbies at 14?

Playing the guitar, doing yoga. I started making jewelry when I was around that age. I love making jewelry out of these crystal beads. I like things that allow me to sit in my solitude and just have moments of quiet — so making things, whether it’s a song or jewelry, allowed me to do that and just be one with myself.

What shows and movies were you watching?

I am a sucker for reality television, I always have been. I love all of the Housewives, I love all of the divorce courts, paternity courts, Maury, Jerry Springer, all of them. I would definitely be watching those as guilty pleasure TV.

Did you have a dream role at 14?

I’ve always wanted to incorporate music and singing into my acting, because music is my first love and singing is what I love to do, so Broadway was something that I thought maybe one day I’d do — and who knows, maybe I’ll still do that in the future.

“Kiss the Girl” is such a pivotal moment in The Little Mermaid. How were you feeling about love and kissing at 14?

I’ve always been such a romantic person, and so I’d be on the tour bus imagining, “Oh, what will my first kiss be like?” Because I think I had my first kiss when I was like 16. It was a lot of daydreaming and the beginning of puppy love feelings.

Did it live up to your expectations?

Oh yeah, absolutely. [Laughs.]

Who was your biggest celebrity crush?

Ooh, I think Bruno Mars was my top one, especially when I was 14. I was obsessed with him when he came out with “Grenade” and his [Doo-Wops &] Hooligans album. I just thought he was so... He still is amazing.

What was your relationship like with social media at the time?

I remember we got our first 1,000 views on a video, and it was like, “Wow, that’s amazing.” And we had 10 comments, and I remember we read the comments for the first time. At first, comments used to matter a lot to us. And then, as you get older, you realize there’s going to be a lot of opinions. If you just release into the world what you love and what makes you happy, and if you feel proud of yourself, that’s good. If people like it, they like it. If they don’t, that’s alright too.

What advice did Beyoncé give you at the time that you’ve held on to?

While she was backstage getting ready, she would have somebody record our opening set and then review the set after and give us tips and tricks. Just really encouraging us how to get better and better each show — that was something that my sister and I really enjoyed.

What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

To be more sure of yourself. You are worthy. You are strong. You can and you will. And don’t be scared. I know it’s easy to be scared of the future and shy and nervous and overwhelmed about what your life may be like in a few years, but just know that you’re going to be more than OK, and I’m proud of you.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Source: www.fox5atlanta.com/video/1225764

Halle Bailey on the magic of 'Little Mermaid'
Atlanta's own Halle Bailey is bringing mermaid Ariel to life more than 30 years after the original animated 'The Little Mermaid.' The superstar actress and singer sat down with Sharon Lawson for a one-on-one interview about what it was like being a Black Disney princess.

[veu]

Halle Bailey CRIED Watching The Little Mermaid (Exclusive)

Entertainment Tonight

25 mag 2023

Halle Bailey stars in 'The Little Mermaid,' splashing into theaters on May 26.

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Melissa McCarthy and Halle Bailey know their 'Little Mermaid' Facts | POPSUGAR

POPSUGAR

25 mag 2023

The cast of “The Little Mermaid” take the Ultimate Little Mermaid Quiz! Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Daveed Diggs, Jonah Hauer King and Jacob Tremblay put their Little Mermaid knowledge to the test!

What does Scuttle call a smoking pipe? What part of Ariel is completely CGI? Which other title Disney character is Ariel rumored to be related to? Find out all of this and more! Plus, the cast reveals their go-to Disney karaoke songs!

“The Little Mermaid” swims into theaters May 26th!

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Unforgettable Moment: Brownies' Magical Encounter with Disney's The Little Mermaid Cast

The Female Lead

25 mag 2023 #thelittlemermaid
The Female Lead and Girlguiding gave two brownies the chance to meet the cast of Disney's #thelittlemermaid. 7-year-old Naomi and 8-year-old Eleanor interview Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King ❤️

Halle told the girls: “I think it’s so important for us to see strong girls and women in movies, because it’s an example of what we can be in the future. I remember Princess Tiana in my favourite movie, Princess and the Frog, and seeing how she was working so hard in the kitchen. Cooking for what she wanted, her dreams for her restaurant. It’s like, if you work and put in the time and be a kind person, you can really do anything you put your mind too. I think there’s a similar message in The Little Mermaid that Ariel has and I hope that you all can see that and be inspired to go after what you want.”

When asked about his favourite part of filming the movie, Jonah Hauer-King,
who plays Prince Eric said: “There was so many parts that I loved... But I’d say the standout best thing was probably meeting Halle and getting to work with her because she’s so special and such a brilliant actor and I learnt so much from her, professionally but also as a person."

[veu]

The Little Mermaid Cast Gets TESTED - Do Melissa McCarthy & Halle Bailey Know The Movies!?

LADbible Australia

26 mag 2023 #LADbible #TheLittleMermaid #LittleMermaid

In celebration of The Little Mermaid swimming into to the big screen, we quizzed Halle Bailey (Ariel) and Melissa McCarthy (Ursula) on the world’s hardest film trivia to see how well they really know the animated classic.

The Little Mermaid is in cinemas right now.

[veu]

Source: www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-65683542

Little Mermaid 2023 cast say Disney film's diversity is 'wonderful'
Published
4 days ago


Halle Bailey on the red carpet - she's looking back over her right shoulder with a beaming smile. She's wearing a jewelled headpiece that covers the top of her head to the middle of her ear. She wears a sparkly earring with a pearl dangling from it.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Halle Bailey says she's been moved to tears by the joyful reaction some people had to her being cast as Ariel

By Megan Lawton
Newsbeat reporter
If you're planning on watching The Little Mermaid at the cinema this weekend, you'll notice several changes from the original.

Firstly it's a live-action remake, so combines real-life actors with computer-animated sea creatures.

And one of the biggest changes is the diversity of the cast.

You'll probably know, thanks to social media posts or billboards, that main character Ariel is played by black actress and singer Halle Bailey.

But diversity in 2023's Little Mermaid goes beyond her character - Ariel's six sisters are all played by actors from different ethnicities.

And when BBC Newsbeat speaks to Halle, it's something she wants to celebrate.

"I am overjoyed I get to represent for this new generation," she says.

Joy is a feeling that's followed Halle since she was revealed as the new Ariel.

The movie's trailer was viewed 9 million times in just five days and the internet was flooded with videos of young girls thrilled to see a Disney star that looked like them.

And seeing that still hasn't got old for Halle.

"I've cried 10 times today," she says. "I saw 10 new videos and I can't stop getting emotional."


Halle Bailey as Ariel, in a close-up shot from The Little Mermaid. Her head is above water and the rest of her body is submerged. Her long, dreadlocked hair hangs down at each side of her head and disappears into the sea.
IMAGE SOURCE,DISNEY
Halle's been praised for her "star-making" turn as Ariel

Playing Ariel meant a great deal to Halle and she was keen to bring her culture and identity to the role.

One example is her hair, which she kept natural for the film. Unlike 1989's cartoon Ariel, with her long, straight red hair, Halle has dreadlocks, or locs.

But it did make certain moments - like Ariel's iconic hair flick - harder to film.

"My hair was really heavy because I have my locs, so we shot it more than 20 times to get it right," says Halle.

"But it was so fun. I've loved recreating moments like those."

It's an image "beautiful black and brown children deserve to see", she says.

Castmate and fellow mermaid Sienna King agrees, and says it sends a powerful message.

"For so many years, we've been told that having straight hair - especially for black women - is the idea of beauty," says Sienna.

"Now we get to see someone with dreadlocks and their natural kinky, curly hair.

"It's so beautiful and I'm very blessed to see that and be a part of that as well."


Sienna King on the red carpet, wearing a white blouse with open neck and puffy shoulders. Her hair is tightly tied back, and she wears dangly earrings made up of three teardrop-shaped stones. A matching necklace can also be seen.
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Sienna King plays the mermaid Tamika and says making the film felt like making history
When casting the film, director Rob Marshall says he and his team had no agenda and auditioned "every ethnicity" before landing on Halle.

Sienna believes this approach to casting will set a precedent for the future.

"Representation really does matter on all levels, from size, disability, colour and gender," she says.

"This movie is now the forefront of that, so I'm grateful to be a part of history."

Film critics fall for Little Mermaid's new Ariel

Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Ariel's love interest Eric, says he wants the project's "open-minded" casting to be the norm moving forward.

"There was equal opportunity and that's really special," he says.

"What's beautiful about the film is that it represents the world that we live in and it does it in a really seamless way."

Joshua says the Little Mermaid is "trailblazing" for people "who don't often see themselves on-screen in this way".

"It's special and I think it's going to make a massive difference," he says.


A scene from The Little Mermaid where Ariel, in her mermaid form, attempts to revive Prince Eric. They're both on a sandy beach. He's on his back, with his eyes closed and appears unconscious. He's soaking wet and his shirt has come unbuttoned. Ariel leans over him, and looks concerned as she places her left forearm on his chest.
IMAGE SOURCE,DISNEY
Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric, praised the movie's "open-minded" casting process

Kajsa Mohammar plays Karina, another of Ariel's sisters, and tells Newsbeat there were tears on set - but the good kind.

"When we filmed the final scene, I looked around and I saw everybody represented," she says.

"I was bawling my eyes out because you dream to be part of something like this and then it happens and it's so beautiful.

"I think the diversity is the strongest point of the film. It's wonderful."

Bigging up director Rob Marshall, she says "everything is now possible" in the future.

"Rob has set the bar so high, updating an older film and doing it as sensitively as he has, really lighting the way for what we can do.

"It's magic."

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French interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gVM5gMyo-o

La folle histoire du casting de La Petite Sirène raconté par le réalisateur et le producteur 🔥

Konbini
4 mag 2023

"On a engagé la meilleure personne pour ce rôle."

Halle Bailey incarne Ariel, La Petite Sirène, et c'est eux qui l'ont choisie ✨
Le réalisateur Rob Marshall et le producteur John DeLuca nous expliquent comment ce casting a été fait et pourquoi il est si important.

Retrouve les news et interview Konbini !

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L'INTERVIEW - Rob Marshall pour LA PETITE SIRÈNE

Pathé France

24 mag 2023

Le temps de production, la renaissance des comédies musicales, le choix d'Halle Bailey... on a rencontré Rob Marshall, le réalisateur de La Petite Sirène, afin de parler du film, actuellement à l'affiche sur nos écrans !

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☯ LA PETITE SIRÈNE : Halle Bailey et Jonah Hauer-King nous racontent le tournage du film

Serieously

24 mag 2023 #hallebailey #thelittlemermaid #disney
www.serieously.com

Le nouveau live action de Disney, La Petite Sirène, arrive enfin au cinéma. Les acteurs Halle Bailey (Ariel) et Jonah Hauer-King (Eric) nous racontent le tournage du film et quel était leur plus gros challenge.

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The Little Mermaid | Underwater Interview | Disney UK