Halle Bailey Shared How She Honestly Felt About The World’s Reaction To Her Role In "The Little Mermaid"

Halle Bailey has had to deal with a lot since being cast in The Little Mermaid — and it hasn't all been positive.

From the moment that it was announced that Halle would be portraying Ariel, it set off racist trolls who didn't think the fictional character should be Black.

And then, when the first trailer was released, the trolls were all back at it again.

But at the same time, Halle's casting was a major moment for many Black children who were going to get to see someone who looked like them play a Disney princess.

Parents shared their children's absolutely heartwarming reaction to seeing that Ariel is Black in the trailer — and for Halle, that response outweighed all the negative.

"Seeing the world’s reaction to it was definitely a shock," Halle told Edition of the racist backlash to the movie.

She continued, "But seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and Black young girls, really tore me up emotionally."

Halle previously shared that her family also played a major role in helping her deal with the negative backlash.

“It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you,’” Halle said.

She added, "What that would have done for me, how that would have changed my confidence, my belief in myself, everything. Things that seem so small to everyone else, it’s so big to us."

The Little Mermaid hits theaters on May 26, but for now, you can read all that Halle had to say here.