“The Little Mermaid” Cast Discusses Live-Action Film at Press Conference

Hi everyone!

We were invited to the virtual press conference for “The Little Mermaid” live-action film. I posted an article from the filmmaker portion of the press conference, and the cast also got together to talk about the movie. Host Nischelle Turner moderated both press conference segments.

The cast present were:

• Halle Bailey (“Ariel”) 
• Melissa McCarthy (“Ursula”) 
• Javier Bardem (“King Triton”) 
• Daveed Diggs (“Sebastian”) 
• Awkwafina (“Scuttle”) 
• Jacob Tremblay (“Flounder”) 
• Jonah Hauer-King (“Prince Eric”) 
• Noma Dumezweni (“Queen Selina”)<

  

  The press conference was held the morning after the big Hollywood premiere for “The Little Mermaid”. Turner asked Bailey about the “incredible moment” with her sister Chloe on the red carpet, whether it “soothed her soul” that her sister was there. Bailey answered,  “Absolutely. I mean, my sister is my best friend. She’s my rock. And so, yesterday was actually her first time getting to see the film.”

  Turner asked Bailey if she felt a kinship with Ariel now that she’s played her. Bailey answered affirmatively. “I tell people all the time I feel like Ariel truly has helped me find myself and this young woman version of me because…it’s been five years of my life now.” Bailey worked on the film from age 18 to 23, during what she calls “transformative” years. “I feel like especially these themes of the film and what she had to go through with her passions and drive and speaking up for herself, and even though it may be scary, she went for it.”

  

  Turner directed the same question to Akwafina, whether or not she had a kinship with Scuttle.  Awkwafina answered, “Yes, I do feel a kinship with Scuttle. I mean, like I am Scuttle. Like after like two margaritas, you know what I mean, on a Tuesday. I mean, we have that we’re neurotic, things like that. Yeah. Yeah, I am Scuttle. For sure.”

  Bailey was asked what her first reaction was when she found out that she was going to play Ariel. Bailey answered that they had celebrated her sister’s birthday the previous day and had come home from renting an Airbnb. She was in the middle of unloading when the call came from Rob Marshall. “And I don’t answer unknown numbers…I‘m like, whatever, not gonna answer it.” Her brother ran to her and told Bailey to answer her phone. “So I answered it, and then Rob was like, ‘Hello. I‘m looking for Ariel.’  Bailey said she cried for the whole day after that.

  

  Hauer-King was asked about his favorite new addition to Ariel and Eric’s story. He answered, “Friendship, I think. Disney romances are always filled with that instinctive attraction to one another. We all want to see that.”

  

  He continued,  “But I think what was fun about this, and I think a lot of it came from our off screen selves as well, was looking at Ariel and Eric as two people who were kindred spirits who felt a little bit restless…who felt like they were behind the four walls of their respective castles, and were very much looking outwards and not in. They were excited and fascinated by each other’s worlds although they didn’t actually know it until the end.”

  
   “The Little Mermaid” opens on Friday, May 26th! We will have a review tomorrow morning.