'I pushed myself': Halle Bailey reveals she spent 13 HOURS a day underwater while filming 'The Little Mermaid'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'The Little Mermaid', the much-anticipated live-action adaptation of the iconic Disney classic, will make its long-awaited appearance this summer. With its teaser trailers and other promotional materials, 'The Little Mermaid' has so far gotten a lot of attention from its viewers by highlighting Halle Bailey's ground-breaking portrayal of Ariel. In a recent interview with Edition magazine, Bailey provided some insight into the process of shooting the movie, sharing that she sometimes worked 13 hours a day underwater to get the shots.
The movie is being directed by Rob Marshall ('Mary Poppins Returns'), while David Magee and Jane Goldman wrote the script. The cast also features Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Awkwafina, Jonah Hauer-King, Daveed Diggs, and Jacob Tremblay. The 1989 animated blockbuster's original music as well as brand-new tunes written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton are expected to appear in the movie.
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'I pushed myself'
While chatting with Edition magazine, Bailey opened up about her time during filming the movie. She said, "I pushed myself as far as I've ever pushed myself in life, and I feel like the message from [Ariel] was to know that you've always had it in you." She added “I’m really excited for my version of the film because we’ve definitely changed that perspective of just her wanting to leave the ocean for a boy,” she says. “It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life, and what she wants."
When asked about the backlash the movie was facing, Bailey responded “Seeing the world’s reaction to it was definitely a shock, but seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and Black young girls, really tore me up emotionally.”
Backlash surrounding the Disney movie remake
Once it was revealed that singer Halle Bailey had been hired in Disney's most recent live-action adaptation of 'The Little Mermaid', criticism surrounded the project. While nostalgic fans typically have something negative to say about Disney's mediocre remakes, this time, the backlash is blatantly racist, with all of the anger directed at the choice of a non-white actress to play the lead mermaid.1.5 million irate "fans" have disliked the trailer for the movie. The purity of the original Danish narrative has been defended with ludicrous talking points that have exploded in comment sections. There are many things about nostalgia culture that may be criticized, but from Disney's point of view, it makes perfect sense to relive their past since, excluding a few duds, the majority of their live-action remakes have made enormous sums of money at the box office.
What is the remake about?
'The Little Mermaid' will follow Ariel, the youngest child of King Triton, the ruler of the country of Atlantica, who is attracted by the land of the living despite the fact that mermaids are not allowed to do so. She decides she wants to live above the water with Prince Eric after saving him from a shipwreck and falling in love with him. These acts result in a conflict with her father and a meeting with the cunning sea witch Ursula, with whom she strikes a deal to exchange her lovely voice for human legs in order to explore the world above water and win over Eric. Yet in the end, this puts her life—as well as her father's crown—in danger.