Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey explains why she's felt 'pressure' portraying Ariel

The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey has opened up about why she’s felt the ‘pressure’ portraying the titular princess Ariel in the forthcoming live-action remake of the Disney classic, which was based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale of the same name. 

Bailey admitted she felt ‘really proud’ of herself for her work on the long-awaited flick, but that the weight of the role was not lost on her. 

Speaking to E! News at Disney's D23 Expo fan convention, the actor said: "I'm so excited about this film. You know being here today is so surreal. I'm just a fan of all of the other projects and the fact that I get to be a part of something like this. It's amazing." 

She continued: "I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I've treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself. Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl."   

Bailey added: "Knowing that gave it my all and gave 110 percent into everything of this film, I am really proud of myself."    

Alongside Bailey, the live-action film also stars the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Jonah Houer-King, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, and Simone Ashley. 

After the trailer was released last weekend at D23, it soon went viral for a very heartwarming reason as a number of parents started posting their children’s reaction to it on TikTok – with most of these youngsters being young Black girls who were not used to seeing such representation on screen. 

Disney

In another interview with People, Bailey said she felt ‘grateful’ for being able to bring the character to life for young Black children.

Speaking about the significance of a ‘woman of colour’ playing Ariel, she explained: "The fact that now it's getting to be played by me, a person who looks like me, woman of colour, I'm just like, wow, I'm so grateful for what it will do for all the other little Black and brown boys and girls who will see themselves in me. 

“Because I know if I had seen myself when I was younger, I think my whole perspective would've changed." 

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