Halle Bailey Was 'So Scared' To Audition For Ariel In 'The Little Mermaid'

Halle Bailey is set to become the next Disney princess with the upcoming release of the live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. During a recent appearance on Facebook’s Talks with Mama Tina, the 21-year-old singer revealed how she felt going into the big audition.

“Getting that role felt very surreal. It was much of a shocker for me,” she shared. “Even when I was asked to audition, I looked at it and I was like me? For Ariel? That just doesn’t… ‘Cause you know, my image of Ariel that I’ve had is the red hair, the pale skin, and the tail, and she was amazing to me. I loved her, like we all did. But that’s what I’ve seen her as for so long.”

“So even the auditioning process, I remember being so scared and so nervous," she continued. "I think my dad, he one time was like, ‘Let’s run through the lines.' And I started reading them and I just started sobbing. He’s like, ‘Halle, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ I’m just, ‘I can’t believe I’m even gonna go for this.’ But [I'm] so grateful that I kind of get to reinvent Ariel and show other young, beautiful black and brown children that hey, you can be this too. You are magical and mythical and all of the wonderful things in between as well.”

Branching out into acting has been an interesting experience for Halle, as well, as its sees her taking on a project without her sister, Chloe Bailey, by her side. “So going into the filming process, I had to learn and say to myself that you can do it and it’s okay, and that my sister is here, and she was. It was just a beautiful experience for me to kind of spread my wings in that way,” she added.