The Little Mermaid‘s director Rob Marshall reacts to the backlash received for casting the black woman as the mermaid.
The movie is about a young girl who gave up her voice, changed her appearance, and left everything behind in order to attract a man who hasn’t held up well over time. The film will also feature original songs from the 1989 animated blockbuster and also the new tracks composed by Alan Menken and Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Halle Bailey will play the role of the little mermaid. Bailey is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her sister Chlöe Bailey and she formed the musical duo Chloe x Halle, for which they have received five Grammy Award nominations as of 2018. She’ll play the lead in the 2023 adaptation of The Color Purple for the big screen.
Rob Marshall in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly shared his thoughts on the backlash that he received for casting the black woman in the role of the little mermaid. The filmmaker says, “I wasn’t anticipating that because, in a way, I felt like we’ve moved so far past that kind of thing. But then you realize, in a way we haven’t. It was very moving to me to see how important this kind of casting is for the world.”
He further says, “We just were looking for the best actor for the role, period. The end. We saw everybody and every ethnicity. The goal was to find someone who can be incredibly strong, passionate, beautiful, smart, clever, and with a great deal of fire and joy.”
The movie will arrive in cinemas on May 23, 2023.
