Making a splash
Marie Claire Australia|June 2023
Star of the live action remake of The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey talks to Bree Player about the role of Ariel, representation and being pals with Beyoncé
Bree Player
Making a splash

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.

Bu hikaye Marie Claire Australia dergisinin June 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Marie Claire Australia dergisinin June 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MARIE CLAIRE AUSTRALIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Annie LENNOX
Marie Claire Australia

Annie LENNOX

She's been called the voice of her generation - not just for her singing career, but also for her staunch activism. In honour of the Eurythmics' frontwoman's 70th birthday in December, we pay tribute to a living legend.

time-read
7 dak  |
January 2025
Garden SECRETS
Marie Claire Australia

Garden SECRETS

Richard Christiansen's Flamingo Estate has given Los Angeles a new appreciation of farm-inspired bath, body and pantry produce. Now the Australian is giving gardening advice that's actually about harvesting more joy from life.

time-read
4 dak  |
January 2025
JASMINE Chilcott
Marie Claire Australia

JASMINE Chilcott

Solution-based supplement brand FixBIOME prides itself having an education-first platform and a natural approach to gut health

time-read
2 dak  |
January 2025
BIG LOVE
Marie Claire Australia

BIG LOVE

One photographer seeks to dispel vulva stigma with a book that busts open the very real issue of body shame and turns it into self love.

time-read
3 dak  |
January 2025
Time out
Marie Claire Australia

Time out

Skincare that focuses on inner peace is changing attitudes to ageing

time-read
3 dak  |
January 2025
LOVE YOUR LIPS
Marie Claire Australia

LOVE YOUR LIPS

There's never a wrong time to wear a statement lipstick. marie claire puts the most-wanted lip colours under the spotlight to prove their pulling power, whatever the climate

time-read
2 dak  |
January 2025
JULIA
Marie Claire Australia

JULIA

Hollywood's quiet achiever Julia Garner is making a career of defying genre

time-read
10+ dak  |
January 2025
Club wellness
Marie Claire Australia

Club wellness

People are swapping happy hour for hyperbaric chambers and picking up potential partners in the sauna. Private wellness clubs, writes Kathryn Madden, are the new third places- if you're lucky enough to get in the door

time-read
6 dak  |
January 2025
LIFE in COLOUR
Marie Claire Australia

LIFE in COLOUR

The world's most successful living artist, Yayoi Kusama, will have eight decades of art on display in a blockbuster Australian exhibition.

time-read
3 dak  |
January 2025
So you want to be a stay-at-home mum?
Marie Claire Australia

So you want to be a stay-at-home mum?

As the fourth wave of feminism rolls over social media’s tradwives’, can you still admit you might want to leave your career to raise a family? Adrienne Tam reports on the latest motherhood taboo

time-read
8 dak  |
January 2025