"The Little Mermaid" stars Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King sat down with Narcity's Brooke Houghton to chat all about the upcoming live-action remake of the Disney classic. Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric, and Bailey, who plays Ariel, spoke to Brooke about their on-screen chemistry and even the possibility of a "The Little Mermaid" sequel. Bailey also revealed the impact of her character having locs and the significance of Black representation on screen while Hauer-King dished about his character’s backstory.
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00:00 It fills my heart with so much joy.
00:02 I get really emotional thinking about it.
00:04 That was really special in the film to really set that up
00:07 because I think because of it we really understood why they fell for each other.
00:11 Hey Jonah, hey Halle. I'm so excited to be chatting with you guys today.
00:15 Hi, we're excited.
00:16 Good to be here. Yeah, nice to meet you.
00:18 Nice to meet you and congratulations.
00:20 My first question is for you Halle.
00:22 So many viral videos have gone viral of young girls
00:25 seeing themselves represented on screen with you as Ariel.
00:28 How does that make you feel?
00:29 It makes me feel so incredible to see these reactions of these babies and children
00:34 and it fills my heart with so much joy.
00:37 I get really emotional thinking about it, seeing them.
00:40 It's like my favorite part of the day whenever my friends send them to me
00:43 and it makes me feel like the work that we did truly, truly matters
00:47 and it is so important for these babies to be able to see themselves.
00:50 So I am just grateful to even witness these reactions.
00:55 So beautiful.
00:56 And I know you've previously talked about having locks since you were five years old
00:59 and the emotional weight that hair carries for black women.
01:02 What did it mean for you to see Ariel with these beautiful red locks?
01:05 Yes, thank you for that question.
01:07 I mean it means everything to me to be able to see my new version of Ariel have my hair,
01:14 have my locks and like you said, for black women hair is such a beautiful, spiritual thing.
01:20 Our crowns are so important to us and I think it's important for you to be able to see
01:25 a princess who embraces her locks, who embraces her hair
01:29 and I feel like a mermaid would have a fusion of locks and with regular hair,
01:34 much like in the movie, so I love doing it.
01:37 Well, you look absolutely beautiful and Jonah, my next question is for you.
01:40 We see a lot more Prince Eric in this movie.
01:43 What in his backstory makes him so well suited for Ariel?
01:46 I think it's curiosity and I think it's a passion for exploring.
01:53 I think it's a passion for adventure.
01:55 I think they're both very outwards looking people.
01:58 I think they want to know what's out there.
02:00 They want to meet new people.
02:01 They want to find new places and they're really drawn to that
02:04 and I think as a result, they're drawn to one another
02:06 and I think that was really special in the film to really set that up
02:10 because I think because of it, we really understood why they fell for each other
02:14 and why they were willing to risk everything for each other.
02:17 I think the relationship felt really earned and justified.
02:22 Yeah, I loved seeing more of you in the film
02:24 and getting to know Prince Eric a little bit more.
02:26 You know, you and Halle have such incredible chemistry on screen.
02:30 How did you guys work to develop that off screen?
02:33 It was tough. It didn't come naturally.
02:35 It was very difficult.
02:37 It was one of the more challenging parts of this job.
02:40 It was terrible.
02:42 Honestly, it was super easy.
02:45 I think as you've seen the film, you see it on screen,
02:48 I think what's lovely about this version is you see the friendship between them
02:52 and the romance is there, of course,
02:54 but I think that humour and that friendship
02:57 and wanting to be around each other all the time
03:00 and making each other laugh and teaching each other things,
03:03 I think that came naturally to us.
03:05 It was like that from day one.
03:08 So, yeah, I mean, that's me.
03:10 I'm sure you found it very difficult.
03:12 No, I feel the exact same.
03:15 I think it was a really cool bonding experience for both Jonah and I
03:18 because this film is massive
03:21 and we had never done anything on this level before,
03:24 so I think that we were just connecting off of the fact
03:27 that we were really just trying to put our all into these roles
03:30 and the fact that we spent a lot of time together on set
03:33 and we were encouraging each other like, "You can do this. You got it. You got it.
03:36 Go, go, Prince. You got it."
03:38 It was really a genuine friendship there from the beginning.
03:42 That's incredible. And you guys actually hung out outside of this too, as friends, right?
03:46 I heard something about a concert.
03:48 Oh, well, yeah, I think-- Do you mean--
03:50 Because I arrived in LA on Wednesday
03:53 and the first thing I did was I went to see Hallie's sister, Chloe, perform
03:58 and I got two for the price of one
04:00 because then Hallie went on stage and performed as well, which was amazing.
04:04 No, it's great. I mean, Hallie, you've looked after me while I've been here
04:08 and we were in London filming.
04:10 I got to show her a few of the spots that I hang out in.
04:13 So, yeah, it's a reciprocal thing.
04:16 My last question for you guys is there is a The Little Mermaid 2.
04:20 What are the chances we see you both in a sequel?
04:23 - Ooh. - In the second one, I think--
04:26 Do they become-- What happens there?
04:28 In the second one, they have a girl, a baby girl,
04:31 and she wants to go into the water.
04:34 It's like the reverse thing. I love that movie.
04:37 I would be up for doing it. I kind of would like to also be a merman.
04:41 - Yeah. - So if we can also somehow evolve that storyline to go with her.
04:46 - Swim in the water. - Yeah, see me swim in the water.
04:49 Well, I love it. I'm excited. I want to see it happen.
04:52 I'd love to see you both back in some mermaid tails.
04:55 Thank you guys so much for taking the time to chat
04:57 and congratulations on an incredible film.
04:59 - Thank you so much. - Thank you very much.
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