Halle Bailey on Life After The Little Mermaid: ‘I Learnt How to Block Out the Noise’
Plucked from obscurity as a young teen by Beyoncé herself, singer and actor Halle Bailey rapidly ascended to the Grammys before making her mark in Hollywood. As she stars in the romantic comedy ‘You, Me & Tuscany’, she speaks about motherhood, playing Ariel, and the power of positive affirmations.
An Old Soul in a Young Body
Halle Bailey is, by her own admission, an old soul. “It’s a running joke in my family that I’ve been a grandma since I was a little girl,” says the 26-year-old, who may not be a grandma but is a mother. Sometimes Bailey herself can hardly believe she’s only 26, having lived a lot of life for someone in their mid-twenties.
Bailey was 13 when she and her sister Chloe were signed to Beyoncé’s music label; 17 when they released their debut album The Kids Are Alright as Chloe x Halle; and 18 when that album earned two Grammy nominations. She wasn’t yet 20 before their second album, Ungodly Hour, earned three more nominations.
That same year, Bailey was announced as marine life princess Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. The racist backlash to her casting would’ve aged anyone in her position at least 10 years. People often think she’s younger due to her doe eyes, but she carries herself with the composure of someone born much earlier than the millennium.
Stepping into Womanhood with ‘You, Me & Tuscany’
“This is the first time where I am playing a grown version of myself,” says Bailey of her new film You, Me & Tuscany. “This feels like the first time where I’m stepping into my womanhood. It felt cool because it reflected me now. You know, I have a baby. I do feel like I’m an official adult woman.”
True to its whimsical title, the film is a romcom romp set in the rolling hills of Italy. Anna-from-Atlanta crashes at an empty Italian villa by posing as the owner’s fiancée – only to fall for his dashing cousin, played by British actor Regé-Jean Page. Pasta is eaten, wine is drunk, and R&B love songs are sung a cappella.
Speaking of age, Bailey laughs about the age gap with Page, who is 12 years older. “Yeah, he’s old!” she admits, noting that some of her Gen Z slang was lost on the Bridgerton star. The film is a rarity: a big, studio-backed theatrical release with two Black leads. “It’s weird that it is so rare,” she says. “I feel honoured that I’m able to show other young Black girls and women and men that we deserve to see ourselves on screen.”
Dealing with Backlash and Finding Support
Looking back on The Little Mermaid now, three years after its release, Bailey says it was “a beautiful experience for me – and I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learnt how to block out the noise.” This diplomatic answer acknowledges the rough seas she weathered from racists on the internet.
Bailey found her own way of dealing with it. “How do I explain it…” she ventures. “It was actually freeing to be in the middle of this conversation where so many different opinions were coming in, and they were so opposite from one another.” She took to seeing the whole thing “like an experiment”, watching herself from a detached perspective.
She credits her grounded nature to growing up in the industry. “Growing up in the industry can really develop your sense of self, and for me, it keeps me grounded in a way,” she says. “I know for some people it’s the opposite but I just always think to myself, ‘None of this is real.’”
Bailey also found support from peers like Rachel Zegler, Zendaya, and Ariana Grande. “As women, I think we form a little protective bubble around each other, especially when we see a peer going through lots of opinions,” she says. “We all understand what a vulnerable place it is to be, and at the end of the day, we are young women... we’re self-conscious... we’re insecure.”
Positive Affirmations and Future Projects
Playing Ariel was “very impactful to the little girl in me... also I have a son, so for him to see that is really cool.” The experience also led to her sixth Grammy nomination for Best R&B song with “Angel”, her solo debut written after filming.
Bailey is big on guided meditation and positive affirmations. “When I go to sleep, I put on these positive phrases: ‘I am love. I am good.’ I feel like we need these reminders when bad thoughts come our way.”
Up next for Bailey is an untitled musical comedy with Jesse Eisenberg and Paul Giamatti. She reflects on her career and motherhood: “I just want to make him proud. I want to do good. I want to be a good mommy.” ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ is in cinemas from 10 April.
