Disney’s Live-Action “The Little Mermaid” Star Halle Bailey Dismisses Backlash Against the Film as Purely Racist: “As a Black Person, You Just Expect It”

Conservative News DailyFebruary 25, 2023

Disney’s live action helped to create the tired media defense that any criticism about the Latest Product TM is based on only bigotry. The Little Mermaid Halle Bailey, the remake star claimed recently that she found the backlash against her film’s announcement to have been expectedly racist.

Ariel (Halle Bailey), playing with a pufferfish, in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

Bailey shared her thoughts about the discussion surrounding Disney’s new cash-grab. An interview Given to the fashion and style-centric magazine The Face (who bizarrely as shown in the photo below, treated her interview like a 1990s Geocities site).

Halle Bailey appears in the Spring 2023 issue of The Face

Halle Bailey appears in The Face Spring 2023 issue

Reflecting on the widespread and well-recognized rejection by the public of The Little Mermaid‘s first teaser trailer – a response It is largely fuelled by the terrible quality of the film’s visuals and Disney’s decision to once again play into identity politics by race-swapping one of their classic characters rather than the presence of a black person specifically – Bailey asserted, ““I know people are like: ‘It’s not about your race. But now that I’m her…”

Ariel (Halle Bailey) investigates a shipwreck in The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

Ariel (Halle Bailey), investigates a shipwreck at The Little Mermaid (2023), Disney

The actress continued her brief trailing off while she searched for the right words. “People don’t understand that when you’re Black there’s this whole other community. It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”

“As a Black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” She spoke of the backlash. “When [my sister Chlöe and I] first signed to [her record label] 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 and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”

Disney’s Live-Action “The Little Mermaid” Star Halle Bailey Dismisses Backlash Against the Film as Purely Racist: “As a Black Person, You Just Expect It” 4

Bailey looked at the reports that Disney’s race-swapping was justified based on reports that young African girls were excited to see someone like them onscreen. She also recalls how her friends and family sent her an overwhelming number of videos showing similar reactions.

“I was crying all night for two days, just staring at them in disbelief,” She told The Face. “It makes me feel more grateful for where I am.”

Halle Bailey Dishes on her favorite ‘The Little Mermaid’ Songs with Variety

Ultimately, Bailey closed out her thoughts on the topic of stepping into the shoes of such a well-established cultural icon as Ariel – as well as those of the protagonist Nettie in the upcoming musical film adaptation of The Color Purple – by explaining, “When you’re doing a remake of anything, everyone’s gonna be like: ‘Well, this isn’t how I liked it in the original.'”

”I hope people like my versions [of the characters in The Color Purple and The Little Mermaid],” she declared. “But at the same time, I’ll respect it if they don’t.”