It’s understandable why people would get the iconic actress Halle Berry and the singer-turned-Disney princess Halle Bailey switched up because of their similar names. Although regarding who would be playing Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid the confusion makes less sense. And Halle Berry has responded, again, to this name mix-up.
This has happened before, since the two actresses share a first name and the same last initial, it’s understandable people would be confused. Halle Berry responded to it one time in a classy manner saying she’s excited to see Halle Bailey take on the role. This time though, the mix-up went a bit further, not long after the first trailer for The Little Mermaid dropped, when a user on Twitter posted:
Halle Berry is nearly 60 playing the role of a 16-year-old girl. This is what happens when you upset a fandom.
To which Berry responded with a photo of a woman with a blank stare, who honestly looks quite done with the situation, I think. You can check that our for yourself below, courtesy of the actress' personal social media.
https://t.co/VOAPrwVoUa pic.twitter.com/YLlD7qGWobSeptember 11, 2022
Obviously, The Little Mermaid was not going to cast a 56-year-old actress as a teenage princess. It makes much more sense that they cast Halle Bailey, who is 22, in the role of the young mermaid.
While Berry is not Bailey, both actresses have been incredibly successful and have taken on iconic roles. Berry played Storm in X-Men and Catwoman in the movie of the same name, leaving her mark on the superhero genre. Meanwhile, Bailey is making a splash onto the scene as Ariel.
This role for Bailey, and for movies in general, is a big deal. Bailey made history when Disney cast her, because she is the first Black actress to take on a live-action princess role. She has spoken about how “grateful” she is to “reinvent” Ariel. The actress said she got emotional seeing herself in on the screen with the mermaid tail for the first time.
While there has been racist backlash since her casting, Bailey has spoken about the support she received from her family, and since the trailer dropped it’s clear her performance is making a positive impact. Parents filmed their Black daughters watching Bailey sing “Part of Your World” for the first time. Seeing these kiddos react with such joy shows just how important it is to see representation on the screen, and Bailey gets to do that in The Little Mermaid.
Berry has also made history in the film industry, like Bailey. She was the first Black actress to win an Academy Award for best actress for the film Monster’s Ball. On top of that Berry is also a household name, she has appeared in superhero films as well as the John Wick and Kingsman franchises.
Both women are powerhouses and have some super exciting projects coming up. Berry has two 2022 movie releases with Moonfall earlier this year and The Mothership, which is expected to come out later this year. The Little Mermaid is slated in Disney’s upcoming releases for 2023, and Bailey will also appear in the movie adaptation of the award-winning musical The Color Purple next year. So, be on the lookout for the two Halles’ projects, but don’t get them mixed up because they are two very different people.
