Actor Halle Bailey, who’s been making waves since the teaser trailer of her movie “The Little Mermaid (2023)” came out at Disney’s recent D23 Expo, has been mistaken for another, much older actress, Halle Berry, according to Buzzfeed.
Some people said, “Why is Little Mermaid Black?” while others commented, “Why is a 60-year-old Halle Berry playing a 16-year-old girl?” It became so serious and humorously exaggerated that Halle Berry stepped in to make a joke and clear the air. The original tweet, since deleted, has gone viral because Halle Berry reacted to it. It read, “Halle Berry is nearly 60 playing the role of a 16-year-old girl. This is what happens when you upset a fandom.”
Berry uploaded a photo depicting disappointment and contempt in response. At this point, it has become a meme. Some people have even voiced outrage about how racial trolls have reacted to the teaser. One person commented, “i’m so fucking tired of everyone in response to halle berry as ariel being like “what if black panther or mulan was white” GET IT THROUGH YOU DENSE THICK SKULL. ARIEL IS A F**KING FISH.”
Another said, “I JUST figured out that people aren’t freaked out over race when the issue — in my mind — was that Halle Berry, at 56, is clearly to old to play the little mermaid. Apparently, it’s a whole different, significantly younger, stunning Halle who has triggered their racist rage.”
“People surprised about white people freaking out over a black mermaid seem to forget that white folks freaked out so hard about a black President they elected a clown fascist from TV who promised to build a wall to keep out brown folks,” another user said.
A Twitter user came to the defense of Bailey, saying that we need more female leads to stop the hatred that the actor has gotten for the movie. They wrote, “We need more original black disney princesses or black female leads in general because i never want to witness another black woman getting the amount of hatred halle bailey is getting solely for being the best part for the role.”
They added in another tweet, “Like disney didn’t actively seek halle out for “diversity points”, she auditioned and was picked because she was the best for the part. the fact that she’s being exposed to so much vile hatred and antiblackness just for being TALENTED is disheartening.”
The Little Mermaid will be released next year and is directed by Rob Marshall. It features actors Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King and Melissa McCarthy, according to IMDB. Parents have been uploading moving videos of their Black and non-white daughters reacting to the new princess since the trailer’s debut. Adult fans of the film praised Bailey’s singing in the teaser as well, reports The Independent.