Halle Bailey Reveals Her Reaction To Videos Of Young Black Girls Identifying With Ariel In 'The Little Mermaid'

Halle Bailey saw the viral videos of young black girls happily reacting to clips of the upcoming The Little Mermaid.

The 23-year-old singer/actress plays Ariel in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid which will be released on May 26.

Last September, Black families were sharing videos of their children being surprised and inspired by seeing Halle Bailey as Ariel.

Keep reading to find out more…“When I saw those for the first time, I just cried,” Halle told Glamour.

“I was sobbing uncontrollably. The fact that these babies are looking at me and feeling the emotions that they’re feeling is a really humbling, beautiful thing,” she said of inspiring others like her.

While representation is important to her, she also wanted to give her own take on the character.

“I really hope that I put my own stamp on her character by showing more of her vulnerability,” Halle said. “I felt like I could relate to her growing up in a big family and having older sisters to guide you, and having a father that’s very protective and overbearing at times but loves so hard.”

While she is a Black actress and singer, she also wanted to be true to the character.

“[Ariel still] has red hair, because that’s a very iconic part of her,” Halle acknowledged. “But I really did admire the fact that because I’m a Black woman and I have locs, [the producers] wanted to incorporate that into Ariel’s look. They’re both women of color, so I felt very comfortable. They know how to take care of me and my hair and makeup. I’ve been on sets before where that’s not the case.”

Director Rob Marshall said that he felt that casting a woman of color for the role wasn’t “a big deal.”