You are staring as Ariel in the remake of The Little Mermaid. Can you take me back to the moment when you found out the role was yours?
I was overjoyed! I was so excited. I felt like I was living in a dream. I have loved this movie ever since I was young, and getting to be such a big part of this is really a blessing.
Many little girls dream of being a Disney princess, and now you are one. What does that mean to you?
It truly means the world. I get to not only reinvent this character, but I also show other young Black and brown kids that we can be anything we want to be. And we deserve to be in these spaces, too. It’s beautiful.
When the casting of Ariel was announced, there were some ugly corners of the internet that met the news with racism. #notmyariel was trending, simply because some people refused to accept an Ariel who had skin that was a different colour to the animated Ariel. Did you anticipate it? And how did you cope with it?
I definitely knew that it would be a conversation. But I didn’t really take it to heart. Sometimes in this world, we are just gonna have to deal with things like that. I surround myself with family and friends who lift me up. At the end of the day, people are going to comment on it, because that’s just the way of the world today. I focused on staying positive throughout all of that.
Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Marie Claire Australia.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av Marie Claire Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SHANNEN DOHERTY
The rebellious actor died in July after a nine-year battle with cancer. Zara Wong looks back at the legacy of a woman who always lived on her own terms
IN THE WILDS OF ALASKA
Nature served up a spectacular array of delights, while cruising the majestic waters of the far north.
Back to EARTH
In its earliest days, the farm bred draught horses for export. Now Tasmania's 1840 cottage Leighton House has been restored as a glorious getaway
ODE to LIGHT
Created by master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian in 2011, Elie Saab's Le Parfum has since gained a cult following and become an industry icon. Here, Sally Hunwick uncovers the origins of the stunning chypre floral scent
JEN ATKIN
The Ouai beauty guru is regularly called on by the Kardashians and a host of other A-listers. Here, she talks about hair, her beauty cupboard and how she keeps up her energy levels
A NEW DIRECTION
When she was 16, Jordan Lambropoulos told her surgeon she'd rather die than wake up with a colostomy bag. Today - 10 years, countless operations and 14,000 Instagram followers later - she's proof that a colostomy bag is not the end. In fact, it can be the beginning of a whole new life
LADY LUCK
Rosalía takes her accessories as seriously as she takes her art. The Spanish musician spent three years working on her much-lauded album Motomami, finessing the details and perfecting the finishing touches. And when it comes to her outfits, she's no less specific
Wait... superhero movies are cool now?
Who had Emma Corrin and Juno Temple as supervillians on their 2024 bingo card?
CURTAIN CALLING
Brisbane-born star Vidya Makan steps into the shoes of America's founding mother in the long-awaited return of Hamilton
LEIGH-ANNE
The English singer on colourism, freedom and reuniting Little Mix
