How Beyoncé Helped The Little Mermaid's Live-Action Ariel Cope With Racist Reactions
The Little Mermaid's Halle Berry explains how Beyoncé helped her deal with some abhorrently racist reactions to her Ariel character.
Beyoncé has proven to be a vital help to star actress Halle Bailey as she deals with the racist backlash against The Little Mermaid. Following the story of the original The Little Mermaid animated film, the live-action version will explore the love between the mermaid princess and her human prince. With her father disapproving of their relationship, Ariel must seek help from some of the darker elements of the ocean to reach the surface.
Although the original Ariel cast supported Bailey's casting, this did not prevent racist reactions to the black actor playing Ariel. If Bailey had paid attention when she first announced her casting, she would have seen a tirade of abuse directed at her. Thankfully, in an interview with The Face, Bailey revealed that superstar Beyoncé made it clear to her that it's best to ignore the comments. Check out her words below: ^The live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid is expected to hit theaters May 26 and will portray Bailey Ariel's full story. In addition to Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King ("Little Women") will play Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy ("Bridesmaids") will play Ursula, Javier Bardem ("Skyfall") Killing Machine) will play King Triton, Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) will voice Sebastian, and Jacob Tremblay (Harley Quinn) will be by his side, voicing Flounder. Everything about "The Little Mermaid" suggests that the star-studded cast can easily bring the same emotional vibe as the original "The Little Mermaid."
“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore. When [Chlöe and I] first signed to Parkwood, [Beyoncé] was always like: ‘I never read my comments. Don’t ever read the comments.’ Honestly, when the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo [the biggest Disney fan event] and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”
Everything We Know About The Live-Action The Little Mermaid
Of course, there will be some changes to The Little Mermaid's story, which will help develop more agency for Ariel. While Disney isn't entirely clear on what those changes will be, other than updating Ariel's costume, it's understandable since the initial news of Ariel running to Eric was a bit worrisome considering Ariel's young age . Some changes are necessary if Ariel is to be a role model for young girls.
Some definite elements that will be changed are that, as a more progressive Ariel, Bailey will be ostensibly looking for freedom and making a difference in the wider world, rather than looking for a man. The live-action version will also feature new music by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previously collaborated with Disney on Moana. Meanwhile, while Beyoncé may not be in Bailey's The Little Mermaid, her influence on Bailey makes her presence feel the same.
More: The Little Mermaid Eric needs to continue the Disney live-action trendCredit: The Face
