Halle Bailey Opens Up About Channeling Ariel's Red Hair with Her Locs in 'The Little Mermaid'

In her 'Glamour' cover story, the breakout movie star also said she was "very comfortable" working with the hair and makeup team on set

Halle Bailey is opening up about the beautiful beauty decisions made on the set of The Little Mermaid. 

In a new cover story with Glamour, the 23-year-old actress (who is also one-half of musical duo Chloe x Halle alongside her sister, Chloe Bailey) shared why it was important for her to adapt Ariel’s synonymous fiery hair via her own locs.

“[Ariel still] has red hair, because that’s a very iconic part of her, but I really did admire the fact that because I’m a Black woman and I have locs, [the producers] wanted to incorporate that into Ariel’s look,” she told the outlet.

According to Glamour, Oscar-nominated hairstylist Camille Friend made the transformation possible by dyeing Bailey's roots red and wrapping her locs with pieces of hair of the same shade.

Plus, with women of color on the beauty team, Bailey added that she “felt very comfortable” knowing that the various elements of her hair and makeup were in good hands. “They know how to take care of me and my hair and makeup. I’ve been on sets before where that’s not the case," she added.

RELATED: See Halle Bailey's Best Looks from 'The Little Mermaid' Press Tour

RELATED: Halle Bailey Says It Was 'Super Important' to Show Her Natural Hair in 'The Little Mermaid'

Embracing her natural hair isn’t the only way Bailey hopes to meld her own story with that of the famous Disney princess.

“I really hope that I put my own stamp on her character by showing more of her vulnerability. I felt like I could relate to her growing up in a big family and having older sisters to guide you, and having a father that's very protective and overbearing at times but loves so hard,” she further told the outlet on her connection with Ariel.

The Ungodly Hour artist has previously shared that she wanted to bring her most authentic self to the character, doing so, in part, through her hair.

"There was a time when we'd barely see locs— and now we have a Disney princess with them, which has never happened before," she told Ebony earlier this month. "It was super important for me to have my natural hair in this film. I was really grateful to [director] Rob Marshall, because he wanted to keep my locs. It's always important to have somebody to cosign."

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Bailey has sported the hairstyle since she was 5 years old (“They're a huge part of who I am,” she said). Now, she hopes showcasing all of its beauty on the big screen will inspire others.

As she said, "We need to be able to see ourselves, we need to be able to see our hair on big screens like this, so that we know that it's beautiful and more than acceptable."

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