“The Little Mermaid” director: There was “no agenda” when casting Halle Bailey as Ariel.
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00:00The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall addressed the racist backlash Halle Bailey
00:04has faced since being cast as Ariel. He said there was no agenda during the casting and
00:08that they auditioned every ethnicity for the role before deciding on singer Halle Bailey.
00:13The goal, he explained, was to find someone quote, incredibly strong, passionate, beautiful,
00:18smart, clever, and with a great deal of fire and joy. Marshall said Bailey had all of those
00:23qualities plus the voice needed for the role of Ariel. Quote, that voice is something that is
00:28so signature and so ethereal and so beautiful that it captures the heart of Eric and he looks
00:32for her for the entire film. When Disney announced the casting for their live action remake many
00:37praised Bailey for landing the lead role given her vocal abilities and for the representation
00:41it would bring. Quote, I wasn't anticipating that because in a way I felt like we've moved
00:45so far past that kind of thing but then you realize in a way we haven't. It was very moving
00:50for me to see how important this kind of casting is for the world, Marshall said.