On May 26, The Little Mermaid finally arrived in theaters. The long-awaited live-action Disney remake reportedly brought in a domestic debut of $118.6 million over Memorial Day weekend and approximately $326 million worldwide. As the cast continues to celebrate their hard work, Jonah Hauer-King (who plays Prince Eric) recently shared some behind-the-scenes footage showcasing Halle Bailey’s (Princess Ariel) aquatic talents.
On the day of the premiere, Hauer-King began posting behind-the-scenes content on his Instagram account to honor the “hundreds (thousands?) of incredible people [who] worked on this film throughout the height of COVID. Very proud of them all and what they achieved.” The first flick featured him and Bailey walking in full costume in Sardinia, Italy. His most recent upload was yesterday (June 5).
In the latest series, Hauer-King gave fans a glimpse of one of the outtakes of a “rescue” scene with Bailey holding the unresponsive prince as waves crashed over both of them in a hyper realistic pool mimicking the ocean. The clip is now going viral on Twitter with many wondering if the 23-year-old is really a mermaid. “We would’ve both drowned under my watch,” one person admitted after seeing the intense footage. “Baby, under the sea [for real, for real],” another responded. “Halle’s training was tougher than the Marines,” a user claimed.
In addition to the video, photos showed Bailey with a weighted face mask. One person commented, “She really had to be prepared for that hair flip.” The Color Purple actress’ long locs would have more than likely been heavier after being submerged in water. “Plus, she had to act like it’s just another normal day because water shouldn’t make her struggle,” another added of King Triton’s youngest daughter. In a previous interview, the Atlanta native dished on the filming process: “I’m trying to hold myself up with my core while singing and while acting and trying to look like I’m not shaking because it’s like a workout I’m doing, like a plank. So, it was all of the things, trying to weave them together and look like, ‘This is natural, this is a normal day. I swim in the ocean every day.’”
See others praising her acting below!