The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey shares advice Beyoncé gave her when cast as Ariel
When director Rob Marshall cast recording artist Halle Bailey as the lead in his live-action version of The Little Mermaid, the singer of R&B duo Chloe x Halle sought advice from her mentor — who just happens to be the multi-hyphenate Beyoncé Knowles-Carter.
Bailey, now 23, was named the new Ariel when she was 18, a casting that sparked polarizing responses: some praised Disney for its colorblind auditions, and those on the opposite end of the spectrum waded into racist waters.
Considered a protégé of Beyoncé — who voiced Nala in 2019's The Lion King, another reimagining of a Disney classic — Bailey says she received "beautiful advice" from the Grammy winner after landing Ariel.
"She's always been very, very complimentary and proud of me, and that means the world coming from her, somebody that's been one of my biggest inspirations since I was 3," Bailey tells EW for our Little Mermaid cover story. "She just told me to stand in my power and to not give up and to know that I can do this and believe in myself."
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images; Giles Keyte/Disney Beyoncé; Halle Bailey as Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid'
Bailey's Ariel is the youngest daughter of King Triton (Javier Bardem), ruler of an underwater kingdom of mer-folk. She longs to know more about the above world. More than that, she feels a connection to a human, Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), whom she saves from a shipwreck. Ariel strikes a bargain with the sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) to walk on land, but it's a deal that threatens Triton's entire kingdom.
While Bailey isn't per se the "baby" of the family like Ariel, she understands big family dynamics — perhaps more so given she's grown up in the spotlight alongside her older sister. "I've always had guidance, I've always had my sister [Chlöe, also of Chloe x Halle ] to hold my hand," she says. "I've never done something like [The Little Mermaid] by myself, like anything on my own. So this was a really big, transformative experience for me. It was the first time I had to step out on my own."
Read more about The Little Mermaid in EW's cover story with Marshall and his cast. The film opens in theaters May 26.
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