With all the buzz surrounding The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey is riding high, and justly so. Just like Ariel, Bailey is fond of adventure, as she revealed in an interview with Travel + Leisure.
Bailey Loves Jamaica’s Natural Beauty
There’s something deeply cathartic about being by any body of water, and Bailey knows this from experience. Whether she’s in the ocean, a lake, or by a waterfall, she’s at her happiest.
Recently, Bailey visited one of Jamaica’s beloved natural features: Dunn’s River Falls.
Bailey said, “I just spent my birthday in Jamaica and swam in Dunn’s River Falls for the first time. That was beautiful.”
If you have the chance to visit these falls, you’ll agree. Whether you want to climb the falls, or just take in the views, it’s a great tourist attraction for all ages. Moreover, Dunn’s River Falls is iconic, having appeared in Dr. No (the first James Bond film), and several popular television programs.
She’s Not Much of a Travel Planner
Some people plan their travel itinerary from A to Z, but not Bailey.
“I am a go-with-the-flow person,” she explained. “I need to become a better planner.”
She joked to Travel + Leisure that if she traveled with Ariel, the mermaid would pack way too much. That’s probably not far off— after all, Ariel sings about hoarding “gadgets and gizmos, whozits and whatzits,” and the like.
As for Ariel’s animal crew? You’d best believe Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle would come along for the ride.
Her Role as Ariel Helps Advance Representation
When millennials were kids, Brandy was the closest thing to a Black Disney princess when she played Cinderella.
It wasn’t until 2009 that Disney officially debuted a Black princess, Tiana. While The Princess and The Frog was cute, it came too late for millennials who had already outgrown Disney.
The current generation of Black children is fortunate. Seeing a Black Ariel has impacted them in a way that can’t be quantified.
Racist backlash aside, Bailey is grateful she got the opportunity to star in The Little Mermaid.
“He [Rob Marshall, the director] did not want to change my hair, so I am playing Ariel with my locs,” Bailey said. “I know that means so many little girls and boys will see themselves in this film, and it makes me so happy. I truly believe the film does a great job at showing representation in a matter of fact way, and that is significant.”
