Halle Bailey Is a Real-Life Mermaid at Met Gala, 'Excited' for Fans' Reactions to Disney Movie (Exclusive)

The star of Disney’s big-budget live action remake of The Little Mermaid, due in theaters on May 26, says seeing a black mermaid on screen when she was younger would have “changed my whole life.”

Halle Bailey put in the work to play Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

Yikes! This fairytale couple is stirring up some very real drama!

and that's thanks to Halle Bailey.The 23-year-old stars as the titular, headstrong princess in Disney's new live-action reimagining, and her casting has hit home in a big way for little Black girls who are seeing themselves portrayed as the beloved Disney character for the first time onscreen.The film also stars Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton, with Daveed Diggs as the voice of Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, and Awkwafina as Scuttle.The role feels like a dream come true according to Bailey, whose previous forays into acting include starring alongside her older sister and musical partner, Chlöe Bailey, on Freeform's  series. The singer tells ET that while it «feels absolutely amazing» to join the iconic ranks of the Disney Princesses, being one of the few Black Princesses is on a whole new level.«I just am really grateful to be in this position,» Bailey tells ET's Nischelle Turner, citing Brandy Norwood's Cinderella and Anika Noni Rose's Princess Tiana as her inspirations.«I loved Brandy as Cinderella; she was so amazing, such a role model and inspiration and a really big kind of studying point for me as I was taking on Ariel,» Bailey shares.

Halle Bailey delivered a mesmerizing performance of “Part of your World” as she sang “The Little Mermaid” track live for the first time post-production.

Ariel and Prince Eric have reunited!

Halle Bailey shared a sweet encounter with a “Little Mermaid” fan.

Halle Bailey was committed to perfecting Ariel’s iconic hair flip in “The Little Mermaid”.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Halle Bailey revealed in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times that original princess Ariel voice actor Jodie Benson has a cameo appearance in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” remake. Benson appears in a scene set on land, so, alas, she’s not back as a mermaid. However, the cameo meant the two Ariel actors got a chance to meet on the set of the live-action movie. Bailey said she was grateful to have Benson’s blessing. “She told me how proud she was of me and how I’m handling everything, and encouraged me to just go for it,” Bailey said of Benson. “I appreciate her for being so warm and welcoming to me because she’s the GOAT, and it was important to me to get her stamp of approval.”

Halle Bailey leans into Javier Bardem as the two share a sweet moment at the premiere of The Little Mermaid held at Parque Toreo on Thursday (May 11) in Mexico City.

See photos of Halle Bailey‘s family at the premiere of her new movie – Just Jared Jr A Bridgerton star is under fire for comments about the royal family – Celebitchy Here are 20 celebrity-favorite Y2K fashion brands that are popular again – Popsugar All of these YA shows are pausing production due to the writer’s strike – Just Jared Jr

Part of her world! Halle Bailey was an under-the-sea vision at The Little Mermaid premiere on Monday, May 8.   

Halle Bailey’s no. 1 fan is her own sister, and their sweet moment on the carpet at Monday’s premiere of “The Little Mermaid” made that abundantly clear.

Halle Bailey's no. 1 fan is her own sister, and their sweet moment on the carpet at Monday's premiere of made that abundantly clear.As Halle's sister, Chlöe Bailey, spoke with ET's Nischelle Turner on the blue carpet in Hollywood, their chat was punctuated by Halle's arrival — which led to the pair yelling as they ran across the carpet to one another and embraced.It was a heartwarming and emotional moment of sisterly love that had Halle beaming as she came to speak with ET shortly after.«Oh my gosh, I'm so happy that my sister's here,» Halle gushed.

Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey. With the film’s Los Angeles premiere now concluding, first reactions to the musical have begun to hit social media. Ahead of its May 26 debut in theaters, Disney unveiled footage of “The Little Mermaid” at last month’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, showing an early glimpse at Melissa McCarthy singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” as Ursula. Variety also reported that director Rob Marshall and his husband, producer John DeLuca, held a private screening of the film, with a guest list including Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Matt Damon and Ben Platt. The star-studded audience apparently applauded after each musical number and continued to rave during a post-screening reception.

Halle Bailey is making a splash as the star of The Little Mermaid and during the Hollywood premiere of the Disney film she opened up about finally having audiences see her as Ariel on the big screen.

Chlöe Bailey is a protective big sister.

Billie Eilish is giving fans a star-studded glimpse into the annual Met Gala.

A night to remember! Despite the Met Gala’s no phone policy, several celebs were sneak enough to give fans a glimpse inside the biggest fashion event of the year.

Rami Malek is making moves!ET's Rachel Smith spoke to Malek at the Met Gala Monday, where he revealed that he's producing and starring in a movie of his own.«I'm making my own film. I produced it,» Malek, who couldn't help but gush over the flock of fans at the gala, revealed.