• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Yara Shahidi speaks out about her and Halle Bailey playing Tinker Bell and Ariel

Home> Celebrity

Published 12:23 16 Mar 2023 GMT

Yara Shahidi speaks out about her and Halle Bailey playing Tinker Bell and Ariel

The former Grown-ish stars have both made history with their roles

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Peter Pan & Wendy star Yara Shahidi has spoken out about the reaction members of the public have had to her and Halle Bailey being cast as Tinker Bell and Ariel.

The two actors, who have previously starred in Grown-ish, have made history as they became the first Black women to play Tinker Bell and Ariel in onscreen roles.

Disney fans have recently had a better look at both of the stars in action as a teaser trailer for Peter Pan & Wendy was released earlier this month, while the first full-length trailer for The Little Mermaid arrived on Sunday with Bailey in character as Ariel.

Shahidi shared her excitement for being cast in the role of Tinker Bell as she spoke with The Hollywood Reporter this week, when she also showed her support for former co-star as she said she's' so excited to watch Halle onscreen'.

"If there’s anybody that is a princess just in real life, in the world, it’s Halle,” Shahidi continued, adding that seeing Halle in the role of Ariel 'made so much sense'.

Advert

Millions of Disney fans are excited to see both Halle and Shahidi in action on the big screen, but Shahidi acknowledged they have both also received racist backlash from people who couldn't comprehend the thought of entirely fictional creatures being anything but white.

Shahidi plays Tinker Bell in the upcoming Peter Pan movie.
Disney

Last month, Bailey told The Face she wasn't surprised at the reaction, saying: “As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore."

Bailey described ignoring social media and instead focusing on the excitement of the role, while Shahidi has also been able to recognise the positives that have come from her casting as she commented: "What’s been beautiful is seeing the response to both of our characters and seeing how many people feel included in this fairy tale, while also maintaining the magic that we love in the first place.

Advert

“I think oftentimes people think of diversity and inclusion as threatening or jeopardizing the quality of the story, instead of seeing how beautifully they can be interwoven together to create something that impacts even more people, that lets even more people into stories that we love.”

Halle Bailey will be playing Ariel in the upcoming remake.
Disney

We'll be able to see Shahidi in action when Peter Pan & Wendy debuts on 28 April on Disney+, with Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Alan Tudyk and Jim Gaffigan among those joining Shahidi in the film.

We'll have to wait a little bit longer for The Little Mermaid, which is set to arrive in theatres on 26 May and co-stars Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, Daveed Diggs, Javier Bardem and Jonah Hauer-King.

Featured Image Credit: Disney

Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, Disney

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

5 hours ago
8 hours ago
10 hours ago
a day ago
  • 5 hours ago

    Sophie Turner details moment she unintentionally caused celebrity couple to break off engagement

    Turner admitted that a misunderstanding led to the couple breaking up

    Celebrity
  • 8 hours ago

    Willow Smith hits back after emotional selfie with very NSFW message sparked concern

    Willow's selfie garnered some backlash, and she's not having it

    Celebrity
  • 10 hours ago

    Sean Kingston sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for fraud scheme after making three-word plea to police

    Sean Kingston cried as the verdict was read out in court

    Celebrity
  • a day ago

    Leonardo DiCaprio reveals the one career move that was he says was his biggest 'regret'

    DiCaprio couldn't imagine anyone else playing the character now

    Celebrity
  • Putin’s ’secret daughter’ speaks out against man who ‘destroyed her life’ and 'took millions' of others
  • Rep for Hayden Panettiere speaks out after her slurred words in interview sparks concern
  • Woman speaks out on being 'graysexual' and reveals what it's really like
  • Donald Trump speaks out on 'cheap' and 'disgusting' new movie about his life