Splash actress Darryl Hannah is the latest in a long line of stars who have come out in defense of Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Based on Disney’s 1989 animated classic of the same name, The Little Mermaid will also feature appearances from the likes of Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy and Daveed Diggs. Most recently Disney released the first Little Mermaid trailer for the upcoming family film, sparking a renewed wave of racist backlash and criticism leveled at the studio’s decision to cast a black actress in the leading role.
Of course, The Little Mermaid is not Disney’s first attempt at bringing live-action tales featuring mermaids to the big screen. In 1984 Disney created Touchstone Pictures, a label designed at releasing films with more mature content not appropriate for their main Walt Disney Pictures label. The first film to be released under the freshly minted Touchstone label was Ron Howard’s romantic comedy Splash, which starred Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah as the mermaid Madison. Well received by audiences and critics alike, the film even managed to secure an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Most recently Hannah has harkened back to her own past as a fictional mermaid to lend her support to Bailey’s casting. Taking to Twitter, Hannah categorically stated “The little mermaid is black. I met her. there!”. Hannah also finished off the tweet with the hashtag #dontbearacistdork. Check out her original Tweet below:
Hannah is not the only celebrity to weigh in on the issue, with The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah also recently slammed racist critics who have attacked The Little Mermaid’s casting decisions. While it is easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of racist vitriol currently circulating online, the trailer’s recent release has also resulted in some more heartwarming reactions from younger fans unconcerned with the controversy. Social media is also being inundated with a slew of reaction videos from excited young girls of color who are able to recognize themselves in the latest live-action Disney princess. Bailey herself has even taken to sharing some of these clips and her appreciative responses via her own social media channels.
Sadly, The Little Mermaid is not the only property to face the sort of racist backlash it is experiencing in recent weeks. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and many of its assorted stars have also been slammed as a result of the show’s more inclusive casting decisions. While Hollywood is slowly making more of an effort to diversify its projects both in front of and behind the cameras, the internet continues to prove itself a most divisive testing ground for its valiant efforts. Though, internet trolls aside, Disney’s youngest fans appear to have already given Bailey’s role in The Little Mermaid their seal of approval and will likely be looking forward to the film’s release in May next year.
Source: Darryl Hannah
