The Little Mermaid Director Slams Racist Backlash To Halle Bailey Casting

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21 December 2022, 15:06

“We were just looking for the best actor for the role, period. The end. We saw everyone and all ethnicities.”

The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall has shut down Halle Bailey’s racist backlash as Ariel in the film.

When Disney first announced that Halle Bailey would play Ariel in their live-action The Little Mermaid, the decision was met with praise. Anyone who’s heard Halle sing could tell you she’s perfect for the part. However, there has also been a flurry of racist complaints from people unhappy that Ariel is being portrayed by a black woman.

Now, Rob Marshall has addressed the racist response to Halle’s casting and why she’s always been the best Ariel.

READ MORE: The Little Mermaid’s Halle Bailey shares emotional response to young black girls watching trailer

The director of The Little Mermaid denounces a racist reaction to the casting of Halle Bailey. Photo: FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo, Allstar Picture Library Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Discussing the response to the trailer in which many videos of young black girls reacting to Halle as Ariel went viral, Rob told Entertainment Weekly, “I didn’t expect that because, of in a way I felt like we were so past that kind of stuff but then you realize, in a way that we haven’t It was very emotional for me to see how much this guy casting matters to the world.

Addressing the racist backlash over Halle’s casting, Rob said he had “no agenda” when casting her. He explained, “We were just looking for the best actor for the role, period. The end. We saw everyone and all ethnicities.” Rob said his goal was to find someone “incredibly strong, passionate, beautiful, smart, intelligent” with “a lot of fire and joy”.

Rob also revealed that finding someone with a magical voice was of utmost importance to him. He said, “That voice is something so distinctive, so ethereal, and so beautiful that it captures Eric’s heart. He searches for it the whole movie.”

Rob went on to say that many of the other actors who tried out for the role were too “jaded” for the part: “Halle always had that freshness about her. As soon as we cast her, we really thought about how we can make her her Ariel.”

READ MORE: Bridgertons Simone Ashley set to appear in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid

Speaking to Variety to explain why she decided to audition for the role of Ariel, Halle previously said: “I want the little girl in me and the little girls like me watching to know that they are special and ‘They should be a princess in every way. There’s no reason they shouldn’t. That reassurance was something I needed.”

The Little Mermaid debuts in cinemas worldwide on May 26, 2023.

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