From 1989, children across the globe have grown up with the voice of Jodi Benson guiding them from under the sea to a whole new world.
Now, those children are adults – and their offspring have the privilege of looking to Halle Bailey‘s live-action Ariel as the bridge between the ocean and land, and a symbol, in more ways than one, of empowerment.
It’s a monumental legacy to live up to, and it’s not an undertaking that’s come without its weight – but unlike Atlas, Bailey hasn’t had to carry it solely on her shoulders.
Watch the video above.
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”I’m so grateful to be a young woman and I’m so inspired by women in general,” the 23-year-old singer-songwriter-actress tells 9Honey Celebrity in Sydney.
Although Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid hits Australian cinemas today, being Ariel has been a years-long journey for Bailey, whose casting was announced on July 2019.
She was 18 when she got the call, and already a successful pop star in her own right.
One half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle, Beyoncé signed them to her record label Parkwood Entertainment in 2015 in a minimum six-album deal reportedly worth around $US1 million (approx. $1.5 million).
It was for her voice that Bailey was named the real-life little mermaid, with director Rob Marshall noting she, as the first hopeful officially auditioned for the role, set the bar so high with her impassioned rendition of Part of Your World – so much so he was brought to tears – that the hundreds of other actresses seen afterwards never stood a chance.
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Yet when news of who the new Ariel would be was announced, Bailey’s vocal capability was drowned out by a cacophony of criticism all focused on one thing: the colour of her skin.
In a matter of minutes, Hollywood’s next projected blockbuster had become fodder for a particular side of the increasingly divisive culture war. Although audiences had yet to see Bailey’s performance in full, with each new poster, trailer or clip’s release came an onslaught of racially-charged vitriol shared with the hashtag #NotMyAriel.
Bailey, a teenager who was now a real life Disney Princess, was merely collateral damage.
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Ironically enough, a core message of the on-screen narrative in The Little Mermaid is not being afraid of what’s different to you; and, like her 4K facsimile, Bailey has risen above the depths of the reductive discourse – with a little help from her friends.
Said friends include “amazing women”, a list with co-star Melissa McCartney, who plays Ursula, “mentor” Beyoncé, Jodi Benson herself, and Halle Berry – the world’s first and only Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar, who also isn’t shy when it comes to praising Bailey on social media – on it in red underline.
“[They’ve] done this before and been in my shoes right now and know what it takes to have to go through this, something as massive as this where people just care so much,” Bailey says with a laugh of almost disbelief.
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“I think it’s a beautiful thing when you can have women that are your inspirations lift you up and say, ‘You are doing the right thing, I’m proud of you. Keep going,'” she continues.
“It meant the world to me to have that validation from Jodi Benson, the original voice of Ariel,” Bailey says.
“She has been the soundtrack to a lot of our childhoods and is iconic, and the fact that she was so open and honest and proud of me made me feel so validated,” she says, before admitting she was “freaking out” when it came to Benson’s admiration because she herself “love[s] her”.
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Beyoncé, meanwhile, is “very much so the proud aunty that just claps for you and is like, ‘You go, you go.'”
“She’s one of those amazing women who really kind of give you advice through the example of living,” Bailey says.
“Her work ethic, and watching her is like all the advice you need, it’s like, ‘Oh my God. One day, I can, like, maybe get there.'”
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McCarthy was also someone who was “there for [Bailey]” on-set and would “hold [her] hand”, saying: “You’re doing a great job, I’m proud of you.”
“It means the world to me,” Bailey says of the support.
Her turn as Ariel, despite the controversy, is something Bailey has only positive things to say about – and it’s one she’ll remember for a long time.
Ariel might have 20 ‘thingamabobs’ she cherishes in her hideaway, but Bailey has two – plus the intangible impact of her casting that’s measured with each hug from a little girl.
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Bailey, alongside Jonah Hauer-King, who plays the live-action Prince Eric, was gifted an aquamarine mermaid figurine initially used as a prop by director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca when filming wrapped.
Bailey also has the “beautiful blue corset” from the first dress Ariel wears on land as a human.
“They’re really special, they’re hidden away in my closet,” Bailey says.
They’ll come out to be framed when Bailey gets a house she can put “big art” up on the walls within – a milestone she might reach sooner rather than later if the film reaches its projected $US1.1 billion (approx. $1.66 billion) box office at the end of its theatrical run.
The Little Mermaid is in cinemas in Australia from May 25.
All the best looks at The Little Mermaid Sydney premiere
