Halle Bailey’s First Photo as Ariel Has Us *Super* Ready to See ‘The Little Mermaid’
This little tease is simply not enough.
It seems like Halle Bailey just started filming the live-action Little Mermaid movie, but she’s already wrapped! To celebrate the close of filming, Bailey shared her *first* photo on Instagram of herself as Ariel. She posted the stunning photo on July 12th, and we’re more excited than ever to see the movie.
Alongside her beautiful seaside shot, Bailey wrote in a caption, “i feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory..it has been the toughest experience being away from everything and everyone i’ve ever known, to feeling self doubt/ loneliness, but also feeling such freedom and perseverance as i’ve reached the end. this experience has made me so much stronger than i ever thought i could be.”
She also went on to thank her co-stars for the experience, including Jonah Hauer-King, who plays the Prince Eric to her Ariel.
She was just 18 when she auditioned for this film, and Bailey noted in her Instagram caption how much time passed since then—considering she’s now 21. The life-changing role has been a journey from the beginning, to say the least. Bailey faced intense backlash for her casting in 2019, simply for the color of her skin. Rather than lash out or let it get to her, though, she took the high road and let it roll off her back.
I don’t pay attention to the negativity; I just feel like this role is something bigger than me, she told Variety in August 2019 of the criticism surrounding the movie.
Filming of the new Little Mermaid was pushed due to COVID-19 and seeing as it just wrapped this month, we don’t anticipate its release any time soon. Most likely the film will land in theaters in 2022, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Judging by this singular photo from Bailey, we’re excited for what the rest of the film holds.
