Halle Bailey continues to receive praise from her peers as The Little Mermaid makes waves in theaters.
After months of trailers and hearing from the cast of the live-action Disney classic, fans finally saw Halle as Ariel on May 26. When the film hit movie screens, viewers immediately took to social media to commend the 23-year-old for her portrayal of the Disney princess. Among those who praised Halle were some of her Hollywood peers. The list included her sister Chlöe Bailey, Zendaya, Tina Lawson, Anika Noni Rose, and recently Kerry Washington.
On Sunday (May 28), the “Scandal” actress penned a message to Halle and her co-stars after her family watched The Little Mermaid. “OMG!” Washington tweeted. “Halle Bailey, I cannot contain my pride and joy! The whole [family] went last night, and we looooooved The Little Mermaid. Congratulations to you and to the whole cast and crew! I love you.” Along with the Grammy-nominated songstress retweeting the post, she replied, “Thank you. [I] love you, always.”
Yesterday, the “Ungodly Hour” performer shared a film post that projected how well the Disney movie would do during its opening weekend. According to Film Updates, The Little Mermaid was expected to gross between $117M – $121M. Thus far, it has brought in just over $117M globally. Multiple reports have labeled the film as the holiday’s fifth-biggest opening of all time.
While viewers see the glitz and glam of the movie on the theater screens, Halle recently told USA Today that behind the scenes, it took lots of hard work. “Looking back, I’m really proud of myself, but it was like it was blood, sweat, and tears,” the Atlanta native confessed. “I’ve been pushing myself to the limits, past what I thought I could ever do in my life.”