Halle Bailey has been succeeding on her own since leaving her singing partnership with sister Chloe.
After landing the role of Ariel in Disney's live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which was a position every "it girl" wanted, you can now add actress to her résumé.
Halle served up a playful spread while sporting designer clothing from Miu Miu, Prada, Gucci, Dsquared2, and Ralph Lauren. The shoot was styled by Law Roach and shot by Sharif Hamza. The 23-year-old, who became a year older last month, opened up about her love life, how she handles prejudice, and how her mentor, Beyoncé, is assisting with her solo album for the cover story.
The young actress opened out about this fascinating new phase of her life as she transitions into womanhood and everything that implies. In contrast to Halle, most young women are afforded privacy as they navigate their first committed relationship. She was open about the difficulties of juggling a public relationship with her music career as well as how falling in love changed her creative process.
“Experiencing deep love for the first time in my life is something I feel has opened a whole new world for me creatively,” she shared. “What it feels like to love someone other than your family, like somebody you may not have known two years ago but now they’re the centre of your world."
The “Busy Boy” singer expressed her appreciation for the scary and suspenseful feelings that come with love and the unknown. She sees it as a necessary part of her growth in womanhood, sharing, "I like all of the scary feelings that come with that. I like the suspense, the not knowing what’s going to happen, and I feel like that’s what I’m supposed to be going through in womanhood.”
However, the attention that comes with being in the public eye has made her relationship more challenging. Halle acknowledges that there are many eyes on her, especially with what's to come in her music career, and sometimes she wishes she didn't have so many people watching her, especially when experiencing something as intimate as falling in love for the first time.
“It’s also deeply sacred,” she added, referring to her relationship. She understands the importance of privacy and cherishing the moments she shares with her partner.
As for her career, Halle basically changed her life after she landed the role of Ariel following her first audition.
“We started to see other people,” said The Little Mermaid director Rob Marshall. “Many other people, hundreds of other people, but the bar had already been set. And no one ever surpassed that bar.”
In 2019, during their performance of Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack’s duet “Where Is The Love” at the Grammys, Halle and Chloe caught the attention of Rob Marshall, the director of The Little Mermaid (Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns). Recalling the moment, Rob shared, “John DeLuca and I were watching, and I said, ‘John, who is that? She looks like an angel.’"
Rob was particularly drawn to Bailey's ethereal and unique sensibility, which he felt was essential for the character of a teenage mermaid who had to embody strength, passion, courage, naivety, and innocence. He noted, “I mean, Halle’s so beautiful, but she also has an otherworldly sensibility. This was so important for a character that’s a mermaid and a teenage girl."
While the Little Mermaid director was thrilled with his lead, other individuals didn't agree with Halle as Ariel.
The Twitter hashtag #NotMyAriel started trending after Halle's selection as the lead, with the intention of pointing out that the entirely fictitious mermaid character could only be shown as white in generalized terms.
"I don't allow it to impact me," she stated. "I grew up in Georgia, in the Deep South. As a Black woman, you're aware of the way things are and how some individuals are just blatantly racist."
Halle credits her paternal grandparents with giving her perspective. They were raised in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, a village outside of Charleston that has the name of a plantation slaveowner.
”My nana is 85 years old, and my grandpa is a bit older," she remarked, her hands gesturing excitedly, showing off her doughnut-glazed manicure. "I've talked to them about their life experiences. My nana witnessed her family picking cotton, and she was restricted to drinking from a certain water fountain and subjected to the paper bag test."
”When I hear my grandparents' tales, I feel like I'm the most fortunate person on the planet," Halle declared. "All of the hatred I've experienced pales in comparison to what my forefathers lived through in their lifetime."
A word.
✍️“feel free to disagree in the comments 👀 ☝️👆 & let JAIYEORIE know what U think!” 📎
0 Comments