(Photo Credit: @DYLANBONNER90; JON KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC)
Everyone Is Talking About The New Casting For Live-Action “The Little Mermaid”
The announcement of Halle Bailey taking on the role of Ariel in Disney’s live-action adaption of “The Little Mermaid” has been met with both positive responses as well as backlash. Many Internet users lashed out against the company for casting a black woman in the role, and some even went so far as to start a petition titled #NotMyAriel to have Disney recast the character with a white actress.
In a scathing open letter, which Disney’s cable network Freeform is calling “An open letter to the Poor, Unfortunate Souls,” the company clapped back and defended its position and decision for casting Bailey.
The letter went on to address how Danish people can be black and described Ariel’s activities simply as a mermaid (no skin color involved) and her “pals Scuttle and the Jamaican crab Sebastian.” The social media post also mentioned how Black Danish people can genetically have red hair. But the post gets more serious as Freeform brings it back around to say “The Little Mermaid” is still a work of fiction.
“But spoiler alert – bring it back to the top – the character of Ariel is a work of fiction,” the network said. “So, after all this is said and done, and you still cannot get past the idea that choosing the incredible, sensational, highly-talented, gorgeous Halle Bailey is anything other than the INSPIRED casting that it is because she ‘doesn’t look like the cartoon one,’ oh boy, do I have some news for you… about you.”
By: Maytinee Kramer
