Halle Bailey responds to ‘The Little Mermaid’ racism

Halle Bailey is unbothered by racist comments.

The Chlöe x Halle singer responded to the racist remarks she received over her role as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid,” which premieres May 26.

“As a black person, you just expect it and it’s not really a shock anymore,” Bailey told the Face.

Racist trolls hurled vile slurs online about the 22-year-old actress when she was cast in 2019 as well as when the teaser was released in September.

“I never read my comments. Don’t ever read the comments,” she said. “When the teaser came out, I was at the D23 Expo and I was so happy. I didn’t see any of the negativity.”

Bailey has instead focused on the impact of her groundbreaking role and being a positive influence on children of color.

“I know people are like: ​’It’s not about race.’ But now that I’m her … People don’t understand that when you’re black there’s this whole other community,” the actress said. “It’s so important for us to see ourselves.”

The actress knew she made the right decision after seeing a plethora of videos featuring black children excitedly reacting to her first appearance as Ariel.

“I was crying all night for two days, just staring at them in disbelief,” she said. ​”It makes me feel more grateful for where I am.”

Even Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s daughter Kavia shared her excitement in a video, wearing a “Little Mermaid” costume, with a caption saying “#RepresentationMatters.”

However, it didn’t stop racist fans of the 1989 cartoon from sharing their appalling thoughts and disapproval of the casting on social media.

“When you’re doing a remake of anything, everyone’s gonna be like: ​‘Well, this isn’t how I liked it in the original,’ ” said Bailey.

One artificial intelligence scientist decided to exclude Bailey from part of their world by creating a white AI version of “The Little Mermaid.” Twitter user @TenGazillioinIQ, whose account is now suspended, tweeted he “fixed” the teaser by using AI to make the live-action fish woman white.

The disapproval even reached Denmark, where “racist fish” was spray painted across the base of the Little Mermaid bronze statue honoring Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale in Copenhagen.

Many people questioned the motive behind choosing a black woman to star as Ariel, but director Rob Marshall mentioned there was no agenda in casting a woman of color. “We just were looking for the best actor for the role, period. The end,” he told EW.

Marshall incorporated Bailey’s personality and looks into the character, including her dreadlocks she has been growing since childhood.

Embracing “my locs into the red hair was something that was really special to me. The outfit, the fins, everything,” Bailey shared with EW. “It’s just amazing. I’m just grateful that I’ve been able to take the essence of me and mix the two.

“What’s beautiful about this version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ is that it’s a lot more modern,” Bailey told Face. “I hope people like my version. But at the same time, I’ll respect it if they don’t.”