Halle Bailey is making history as the first Black actor to take on the role of Ariel.
Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” had “no agenda” when it came to the casting of Ariel, director Rob Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. The “Chicago” and “Into the Woods” director said his team auditioned “every ethnicity” for the role and that singer Halle Bailey was by far the perfect choice. While Bailey’s casting has been widely championed and celebrated (see the viral supercuts of Black girls watching the film’s teaser trailer), a small portion of racist fans have expressed outrage against Disney for casting a Black actor as Ariel.
“We just were looking for the best actor for the role, period. The end,” Marshall said. “We saw everybody and every ethnicity. [The goal was to find someone who can be] incredibly strong, passionate, beautiful, smart, clever [and with] a great deal of fire and joy.
