The Wiz star Stephanie Mills supports Halle Bailey amid racist backlash to The Little Mermaid
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Stephanie Mills, the singer and actress who originated the role of Dorothy in The Wiz on Broadway, is showing her support for Halle Bailey in the wake of a racist backlash toward Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
In a heartfelt Instagram post Friday, Mills likened her experience on The Wiz — a musical version of The Wizard of Oz with an all-Black cast — to what Bailey has gone through since being cast as Ariel.
"I know what this baby [Halle Bailey] has been dealing with," Mills wrote. "I got so much hate mail, I was told Judy Garland 'is turning over in her grave'. All because a little black girl was playing a [role] that was once played by a white girl. It's sad to see the same thing is happening to this beautiful, talented, smart and intelligent actress."
Arturo Holmes/Getty; Brendon Thorne/Getty Stephanie Mills and Halle Bailey
She continued: "Halle, God put you in this place and time....So let your light shine. Hold your head up high, walk in your peace, and celebrate the greatness that you are. They told me I would never make it on Broadway, they told me I couldn't sing, they told me I was [too] dark, I have watched and listened to 'they' try to tell you why you shouldn't and couldn't. Well this weekend your movie comes out."
Mills also said she is "so proud" of Bailey and how she has "handled all the naysayers." She concluded, "We have never met, however I have been in your shoes. Baby girl, let them know that this #LittleMermaid is made of teflon… Love, auntie SM."
Bailey has previously addressed racist complaints about her casting. Earlier this year she told The Face, "As a Black person, you just expect it and it's not really a shock anymore."
And in an EW cover story, she said the "good outweighs all the bad" for the movie, citing her joyful interactions with young Black fans who see themselves in her Ariel. "I just have to block out the noise," she said. "I don't really see a lot of the comments. I choose to not read them, or delete Twitter, things like that, and just accept this moment for what it is, which is a big, beautiful blessing and opportunity for me."
The Rob Marshall-directed film is also off to a strong start at the multiplex, earning an estimated $117.5 million and topping the domestic box office over the long holiday weekend (Friday-Monday). That would make it the fifth-highest Memorial Day weekend opening ever.
Read Mills' full post below.
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