Halle Bailey spoke about her life and career ahead of the April 10 release of her movie You, Me & Tuscany, in a new interview with The Independent
NEED TO KNOW
-
When she was cast as Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Bailey endured racist comments from toxic fans
-
That "freeing" experience “taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside,” she said, adding, and “how to block out the noise”
Halle Baileylearned a valuable lesson from her Hollywood breakout — and the response to it.
Starring as Ariel in Disney’s live-action 2023 remake ofThe Little Mermaidwas “a beautiful experience,” Bailey, 26, toldThe Independentin a new interview. “I feel like it taught me to listen to myself and the good voices inside. I learnt how to block out the noise.”
Although thecontroversywent unnamed, much of the noise surrounding the actress-singer’s casting as Ariel involved racistbacklashfrom online commenters who objected to a Black person playing the part. “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,” theYou, Me & Tuscanystar said.
“I felt like I was watching myself inside a cup, seeing how people react to it,” Bailey added of the eye-opening experience. The Rob Marshall-directedLittle Mermaidstarred the “Angel” singer alongsideJonah Hauer-Kingas Eric,Melissa McCarthyas Ursula,Javier Bardemas King Triton and more.
Advertisement
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Growing up in the industry can really develop your sense of self, and for me, it keeps me grounded in a way,” continued Bailey, who with sisterChloebroke out early in the music biz as R&B duo Chloe x Halle. “I know for some people it’s the opposite but I just always think to myself, ‘None of this is real.’ ”
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of her romcomYou, Me & Tuscany(in theaters Friday) costarringRegé-Jean Page, Bailey said she’s learned not to take audiences’ responses to screen projects to heart. “It's nice that we get to be on screen and play make-believe and people go to the theater and — they love it or they don't,” she said.
The Little Mermaid“showed me the ropes,” themom of oneadded, of how to integrate feedback. “I was so grateful to be a part of it. And I feel more confident this time around because I'm like, Oh, I know what I'm getting into.”
Working as a leading lady in Hollywood, as Bailey said, remains “kind of a new world for me… So I'm grateful that it's going the way it is.”
You, Me & Tuscany, from director Kat Coiro and screenwriter Ryan Engle, is in theaters Friday.
Read the original article onPeople