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Halle Bailey continues to battle racist rhetoric surrounding her groundbreaking portrayal of Ariel within the upcoming dwell motion movie of The Little Mermaid. Just a couple of weeks earlier than the film hits theaters, Halle opened up in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife about making ready for the position, and the way her longtime mentor Beyoncé has helped her navigate this journey. “She’s such a beautiful person, inside and out, and I would say she definitely has just told me to stand in my power, to stand in my power and know my worth and to just move forward in that,” the 23-year-old recalled whereas chatting with HL, in partnership with Zyrtec. “It’s beautiful when you get to hear words of encouragement from someone like her, who’s done what I’m doing now, 20 times over! She’s been through it all. She’s seen it all. So, it means the world when she gives directions because it’s like, ‘Okay, I want to follow!’”
Halle went on to open up in regards to the stress she has felt in taking up the iconic position of Ariel, including, “We all know and love the story, and so I think I just felt a little bit [of pressure] because I just wanted to do my best and make people proud of the new version. But also, just so much gratefulness for this opportunity. I’m really excited for people to see our new version of the film and I think that they’ll really love and appreciate it.”
To put together for the position, Halle admitted she went by means of “mermaid training” with synchronized swimmers. “These amazing, beautiful synchronized swimmers would come over to my house every Sunday and teach me how to be a mermaid and to be graceful in the water!” she revealed. “I’d always loved swimming since I was younger, but learning how to be as beautiful as Ariel was one thing! I was in the greatest shape of my life working out every day at 5:00 AM! It was intense, but really good!”
Ahead of the movie’s launch, the 23-year-old, who first auditioned for the position of Ariel at 18, stated that she’s “a lot more confident and courageous because of Ariel.” “I felt like I was learning how to just stand up for what I believe in and go after what I want a lot more,” Halle recalled. “I’m really, really grateful for it, and I feel like she really spoke to me through her character and I learned so much.”
Halle spoke to HL to additionally focus on her partnership with Zyrtec, as we dive into allergy season this spring! “I have dealt with allergies my whole life, especially moving around and traveling all the time. The different climates can really be stressful on your whole area — for me, it’s my sinuses. I get a scratchy throat, stuffy nose, runny, runny eyes,” she defined. “Zyrtec helps me get through it all!”