' Halle – who will star in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid when the Disney blockbuster hits the big screen in May 2023 – recently discussed the significance of playing Ariel. The star said she wanted 'the little girl in [her]' and others like her to know they are special and 'a princess in every single way.' 'There's no reason that they shouldn't be. That reassurance was something that I needed,' she added. The singer and actress previously revealed she received 'words of encouragement' from her grandparents following the racist responses to her casting as Ariel. She explained: 'It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, 'You don't understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you.'' Halle gushed about how the part would mean so much to her younger self. The Chloe x Halle singer was at the centre of a viral moment when the studio dropped a short teaser in September, with parents sharing the adorable reactions of their children – in particular small Black girls – to seeing a Black Ariel for the first time. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upg){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Halle Bailey was brought to tears by a touching letter thanking her for inspiring ‘little brown girls all over the world.’
The 22-year-old actor was overwhelmed by the emotional note she received from a Delta pilot over the weekend, who hand-wrote the sweet message for The Little Mermaid star.
‘This amazing pilot on the plane gave me this beautiful note today,’ she shared to Twitter with a photo of her holding the letter.
She also revealed the heartwarming note on her Instagram story, saying it evoked ‘real tears’ – and we can see why.