'I'm really excited': Halle Bailey reveals major changes to Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid' remake
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Halle Bailey is all set to appear as Ariel, the mermaid princess of the underwater kingdom, in Disney's upcoming adaptation of 'The Little Mermaid'. Disney has been reimagining some animated classics, like 'The Lion King' and 'Aladdin'. The animated version of 'The Little Mermaid' saw Ariel trading her voice for legs, just to be with a boy she once saved. However, in a recent interview, Halle Bailey revealed that the upcoming live-action movie gives a pretty different reason for her to venture out of the ocean.
Apart from Halle Bailey, the upcoming musical adaptation stars Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jude Akuwudike as Joshua, Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina, Kajsa Mohammar as Karina, Lorena Andrea as Perla, Jessica Alexander as Vanessa, Simone Ashley as Indira, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, Martina Laird as Lashana, Emily Coates as Rosa and John Dagleish as Mulligan. The voice cast of 'The Little Mermaid' includes Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.
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The reinvented story
Halle Bailey opened up about her role as the youngest mermaid daughter of King Triton in her recent cover story for Edition‘s March issue. The singer-actress also dished on another upcoming film, 'The Color Purple'. While discussing 'The Little Mermaid', she recalled her childhood and noted that she first watched the movie when she was five. Apparently, Ariel was one of her favorite princesses. An excited Bailey added that this time, the mermaid would rise up to the surface, not for a boy, but to find herself and her independence. Bailey is also glad that Disney is updating its themes to better suit the current times.
“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,” Bailey explained. “It’s way bigger than that. It’s about herself, her purpose, her freedom, her life and what she wants. As women we are amazing, we are independent, we are modern, we are everything and above,” she continued. “And I’m glad that Disney is updating some of those themes.”
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The nostalgic touch
Bailey has yet another connection with Ariel. In the interview, Bailey admitted that she had always admired Ariel because the mermaid princess goes on many adventures to find herself. She also credited Ariel for helping her grow up. The actress did the audition when she was 18, and got the part when she was 19. She is 23 now.
The upcoming 'The Little Mermaid' is directed by Rob Marshall and has music from Alan Menken. The live-action Disney adaptation is set to release exclusively in theaters on May 26, 2023.
