New Snow White Rachel Zegler defends 'Little Mermaid' Halle Bailey in show of 'Disney princess' solidarity
HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY: Halle Bailey has been receiving endless verbal abuse online since Disney announced her casting as Ariel in the live-action remake of 'The Little Mermaid'. But, despite the backlash, the African-American actor is garnering support from a number of renowned stars.
Among them is Rachel Zegler, who has also been cast as a Disney princess. The 21-year-old actor, who will play Snow White in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake, defended Bailey while clapping back at a troll, who tweeted his opinion on Disney's casting decisions on Tuesday, September 20.
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The social media user tweeted, "Hey @disney, I think that @rachelzegler is a good choice for the role of Snow White because she looks just like her. But @HalleBailey is #NotMyAriel. She can be the Little Mermaid on Broadway if she wishes, but not in a movie."
Hey @disney, I actually think that @rachelzegler is a good choice for the role of Snow White because she looks just like her. But @HalleBailey is #NotMyAriel. She can be the Little Mermaid on Broadway if she wishes, but not in a movie. pic.twitter.com/RnrjE24RMq
— Liam Webster (@LiamWeb97294743) September 20, 2022
Replaying to which, Zegler tweeted, "if you don’t support my girl halle, who is the perfect ariel, you don’t support any of us." The tweet made by Zegler, who made her film debut by playing Maria Vasquez in the 2021 musical drama 'West Side Story,' has managed to gain over 600 retweets and nearly 9K likes in nearly 12 hours since she first posted.
if you don’t support my girl halle, who is the perfect ariel, you don’t support any of us.
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) September 20, 2022
While Zegler and Bailey are yet to work together, the bond shared between the two is truly admirable. The pair showcased their bond on the red carpet of Met Gala 2021, by sharing quite an adorable snap. "This incredible young woman. @HalleBailey the ariel/snow white crossover we deserve," Zegler wrote while sharing the snap on her Twitter handle.
this incredible young woman. @HalleBailey ❤️ the ariel/snow white crossover we deserve pic.twitter.com/nnhE2aAtPy
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) September 14, 2021
Bailey has not yet responded to Zegler's tweet, though Zegler is just the latest to come to her defense amid racist backlash to the first 'Little Mermaid' trailer... including a whopping 2 million dislikes of the trailer.
Not just Zegler, but a number of stars have come forward to defend Bailey, including Daryl Hannah, 61, who played the OG live-action mermaid in the 1983 smash hit movie 'Splash'. "The little mermaid is black/I met her/there!" Hannah tweeted along with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork. The tweet got over 4.5K retweets and over 42K likes in just under a day after it was posted on Wednesday evening, Sept 14.
Hannah’s words of appreciation came just a few days after Jodi Benson, the voice actor, who portrayed the original Ariel in the animated classic, praised Bailey for her work in the upcoming live-action remake. "It was so wonderful to celebrate with your family here at #d23expo and to the brilliant director, Rob Marshall... I'm so thankful for our friendship of over 35 years. Thank you for creating such a stunning film!!" Benson concluded. Halle reposted the image to her Instagram Story with the caption: "Thank you so much... this means the world to me coming from you! You made Ariel magical for us."