Halle Bailey Reflects On "Pressure" Of Starring In "The Little Mermaid"

Halle Bailey says that she put "110 percent" effort into the upcoming live-action version of "The Little Mermaid."

BYCole Blake
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Halle Bailey, who plays the character Ariel in Disney's upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid, recently spoke about the "pressure" she put on herself starring in such a big role. Speaking with E! News at the D23 Expo, Bailey said that she put her all into the performance. 

“I’m so excited about this film,” Bailey told the outlet. “You know being here today is so surreal.”

Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images

She continued: “I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I’ve treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself. Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl… Knowing that gave it my all and gave 110 percent into everything of this film, I am really proud of myself.”

The film is directed by Rob Marshall and also stars Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Jonah Hauer-King, and more. The cast has been the subject of racist backlash online from users who are upset with the film starring a Black actress.

The original animated Little Mermaid film was released in 1989.

trailer for the movie premiered at the aforementioned D23 event. 

The Little Mermaid is scheduled to debut in theaters on May 26, 2023. 

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.