Halle Bailey felt ‘the pressure’ while filming her role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Halle Bailey has admitted she felt under "pressure" to do the best job as Disney's Ariel amid ongoing racist trolling.
The actress, 22, stars as the fairytale character in the highly-anticipated live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
Bailey, who is also a singer, told E! News: "I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I've treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself.
"Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl."
The star, who said she has been a lifelong fan of the 1989 Disney original - based on Hans Christian Andersen's Danish fairytale - also said that she gave "110% percent" to the film and is proud of her performance.
Out of the sea, wish I could be... part of that world.
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) September 9, 2022
Disney's The Little Mermaid is coming to theaters May 26, 2023. pic.twitter.com/lUw5BmYRK5
Her comments come shortly after the film's first trailer was met with a barrage of racist comments from online trolls.
While Bailey received similar prejudiced sentiment when she was first announced in the role in July 2019, the movie teaser triggered the hateful comments exponentially.
The trailer, which has gained millions of views globally, and YouTube has now disabled the thumbs-down “dislike” button.
However, the actress has also received support, including from Daryl Hannah, who famously starred as a mermaid named Madison in the 1983 smash hit movie Splash, alongside Tom Hanks.
The 61-year-old tweeted: "The little mermaid is black/I met her/there!".
She added the hashtag: "Don't be a racist dork".
Jodi Benson, 60 - the voice actress who portrayed the original Ariel in the animated classic - also showed her support on her Instagram story.
The little mermaid is black
— Daryl Hannah (@dhlovelife) September 15, 2022
I met her
there!#dontbearacistdork
She said: "Halle, you were absolutely amazing! 'I'm SO proud of you & your beautiful performance as Ariel..."
The positive reaction of black children seeing Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid also went viral leading to Bailey posting a message in response saying: “People have been sending these reactions to me all weekend and i’m in truly in awe… this means the world to me.”
