‘The Little Mermaid’: How Halle Bailey’s Representation For Young Black Girls ‘Heals’ Her (Exclusive)
etcanada.comA whole new generation of little girls are falling in love with “The Little Mermaid” and that’s thanks to Halle Bailey. The 23-year-old actress stars as the titular, headstrong princess in Disney’s new live-action reimagining, and her casting has hit home in a big way for little Black girls who are seeing themselves portrayed as the beloved Disney character for the first time onscreen.
The film also stars Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton, with Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
The role feels like a dream come true according to Bailey, whose previous forays into acting include starring alongside her older sister and musical partner, Chlöe Bailey, on Freeform’s “Grown-ish” series.
The singer tells ET that while it “feels absolutely amazing” to join the iconic ranks of the Disney Princesses, being one of the few Black Princesses is on a whole new level. “I just am really grateful to be in this position,” Bailey tells ET’s Nischelle Turner, citing Brandy Norwood‘s Cinderella and Anika Noni Rose‘s Princess Tiana as her inspirations. “I loved Brandy as Cinderella; she was so amazing, such a role model and inspiration and a really big kind of studying point for me as I was taking on Ariel,” Bailey shares. “I just watched how amazing she was in that role and how comfortable she was in her skin and how impactful to audiences and little girls like me who watched it.
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