The Little Mermaid Director Says Halle Bailey "Understood Camera and Film Immediately" (Exclusive)

Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is hitting theaters later this month, and the first reactions to the film have been quite positive. If there's one thing folks seem to agree on it, it's that Halle Bailey shines as Ariel. The young star got her start as one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle, and her acting credits include playing Sky Forster on Grown-ish, but The Little Mermaid marks Bailey's first starring role. In honor of the new Disney film, ComicBook.com had the chance to chat with director Rob Marshall (Mary Poppins Returns, Chicago) who talked about directing Bailey in her first big role. 

"Well, you know, she was like a sponge," Marshall shared. "I mean, you know, she'd never done this before. And she shared with me later, which I wasn't aware of, that she was so scared every day. But I never felt that from her. She seemed as cool as a cucumber, but she was soaking everything in and everything that I would say or [producer[ John DeLuca would say. She absorbed so quickly and would just do it, but she did it with taste."

He continued, "You know, that was that's what's interesting. She understood camera and film immediately, and I thought that was sort of natural. You could see she's natural on camera, truthful. But there's something, you know, they say the camera loves you or, you know... the camera loves Halle. They it's just there's something about her. And so I was so excited to actually watch her grow into a film star as we were working. It was really exciting." 

What Is The Little Mermaid About?

The Little Mermaid will follow Ariel, the youngest daughter of the kingdom Atlantica's ruler King Triton, who is fascinated with the human world, but mermaids are forbidden to explore it. After saving Prince Eric from a shipwreck and falling in love with him, Ariel becomes determined to be with him in the world above water. These actions lead to a confrontation with her father and an encounter with the conniving sea witch Ursula, making a deal with her to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress Eric. However, this ultimately places her life (and her father's crown) in jeopardy.

Who Stars in The Little Mermaid?

In addition to Bailey, The Little Mermaid stars Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle. The film is expected to feature original songs from the 1989 animated hit as well as new tracks composed by Alan Menken and Diggs' Hamilton co-star, Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

The Little Mermaid is set to be released in theaters on May 26th