Black Women in Entertainment
US actress Halle Bailey receives plaudits at ‘The Little Mermaid’ world premiere
Hollywood Boulevard looked as if it took a dive under the sea as Disney rolled out the blue carpet for the world premiere of “The Little Mermaid” on Monday (8 May).
The 2023 film is a live adaptation of the 1989 animated movie. This new version stars actor and recording artist Halle Bailey who is making Disney history as the first-ever Black version of Ariel.
“This moment, especially for the beautiful babies to be able to see a reflection of themselves. I am just honoured to be a part of this and be one of the princesses now because for me, it was Brandy as Cinderella and Anika Rose as Princess Tiana,” said Bailey, “So, the fact that I’m getting to continue this and live on this kind of legacy is really exciting and I’m just grateful,” she added.
For John DeLuca, producer and Rob Marshall, director casting the actress fell into sense:
“We chose her because she was the best for the role,” DeLuca said.
Marshall added: “[…] We leaned into the mythology for, like, the seven sisters. We made…