“Getting that role felt very surreal. It was much of a shocker for me,” Halle said on the Facebook Watch series Talks With Mama Tina in December 2021 of her role of Ariel. “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.”
She continued, “So, even the auditioning process, I remember being so scared and so nervous. 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.”
Other cast members of The Little Mermaid include Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as King Triton.
Following the wrap of Little Mermaid in July 2021, Jonah shared his excitement for the upcoming film.
“After a mad year-and-a-half, that’s a wrap on The Little Mermaid!” Jonah shared via Instagram. “It has been the most formative and special job of my life. Thank you to all of the absolutely incredible crew and cast who blew me away with their talent and professionalism — some of them pictured here, many of them not. Genuinely so excited for you all to see the phenomenal work done by the teams behind and in front of camera — not least Halle, who is absolute magic in the film. I love ya. Just wait.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see all the looks from The Little Mermaid premiere.