Disney and Halle Bailey fans are one step closer to seeing the singer star in the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. According to the 21-year-old’s recent tweet, she has finally wrapped up filming for the forthcoming movie.
“And just like that..that’s a wrap,” she wrote before reflecting on the challenges she experienced during the process. “After auditioning for this film when I was 18 [and] just about to turn 19, to now finishing filming through a pandemic when I turned 21…We have finally made it…I feel so grateful to have experienced this film in all of its glory.”
News of Bailey’s starring role made headlines back in 2019, garnering praise from Chloe x Halle fans who believed her voice and Disney background made her a fitting candidate for the role.
The announcement, however, also sparked the “NotMyAriel” hashtag, a slew of posts criticizing the fact that an African American woman would be portraying Ariel.
“I feel like I’m dreaming and I’m just grateful, and I don’t pay attention to the negativity,” the “Do It” singer previously said of the backlash. “I just feel like this role was something bigger than me and greater, and it’s going to be beautiful. I’m just so excited to be a part of it.”
Aside from having to deal with the controversy and the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey’s project also meant that she had to spend an extensive period of time away from her older sister and collaborator, Chloe Bailey.
“It is definitely a little bit nerve-racking because I am the little sister,” Bailey told Variety ahead of filming. “I am so used to [us] always going through these challenging moments in our career together, [but] I am beginning to understand that this film is so much bigger than me.”
Following Bailey’s tweet about the end of filming, Chloe took to Twitter to congratulate her younger sister. “I love you so much and I am SO PROUD OF YOU my Halle,” the 23-year-old tweeted.
See that tweet and Bailey’s post below.