Halle Bailey on How She Tackled The Little Mermaid’s Racist Casting Backlash

The casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid surprised many, most notably ardent fans of the source material, and a wave of backlash soon followed. The negative discourse surrounded the actress, fueled by complaints and racist remarks about the divergence from the original animated movie, where the protagonist was white. Recently, Bailey reflected on the difficult period and shared how she handled the criticism in an interview.

Halle Bailey on dealing with The Little Mermaid’s casting backlash

Halle Bailey shared that the backlash surrounding her casting as Ariel in The Little Mermaid taught her to focus on herself and the positive voices while drowning out the negativity. She also said she found the discourse liberating.

Speaking with The Independent about her career and life, the You, Me & Tuscany actress fondly recalled her time working on the live-action adaptation of the animated feature as “a beautiful experience.” She added, “I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learnt how to block out the noise.”

She further recalled, “It was actually freeing to be in the middle of this conversation where so many different opinions were coming in, and they were so opposite from one another.” Viewing the period as an “experiment,” she described it as “watching [herself] inside a cup” and seeing people’s reactions.

Elaborating, Bailey underscored her exposure to fame from a young age, saying that “growing up” in the industry developed her “sense of self” and kept her “grounded.” She continued, “I know for some people it’s the opposite but I just always think to myself, ‘None of this is real.’”

The 26-year-old subsequently expressed gratitude for being a small part of the world and emphasized the importance of keeping loved ones close. “I love feeling small, realizing that the world is so big and beautiful and I’m just a tiny, tiny part of it,” The Line star stated. “The fact I’m here is a blessing, and I’m grateful [to be doing music and acting], but at the same time, this is not what matters in life.” She stressed, “What matters is keeping our feet on the ground, and holding the people we love.”

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