In news that will shock absolutely no one with access to the internet, the casting of Black actress Halle Bailey as Ariel in Disney’s upcoming The Little Mermaid has sparked immediate controversy. But naysayers and racists aren’t the only ones with a voice. Joining a growing list, Trevor Noah has jumped to Bailey’s defense.
On a recent episode of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah called out the backlash. Noting the inconsistencies of arguments that Halle Bailey looks “nothing like” Ariel, he recommended looking at the tail and red hair. In other words, Halle Bailey looks “nothing like” the Ariel they’ve seen before–but why should the 1989 animated version be the only one?
“Once again, a bunch of internet racists are upset that a fictional character is being played by a Black person. This is so ridiculous…You guys realize that Nemo was Black too, right? Yeah! The whole movie was about a fish that can’t find his dad.”
Playing into stereotypes may weaken Trevor Noah’s defense, but he raises a point overall about The Little Mermaid‘s casting. The character is fictional, just as the story is, and so why shouldn’t a Black actress be able to play a mermaid?
The Little Mermaid trailer debuted at D23 and has over 18 million views as of publication. However, it also has 1.5 million dislikes (available to see through a browser extension, according to Forbes)–and it’s not because we don’t see Ursula.
On the plus side, Halle Bailey’s casting has inspired young people of color, who are finally seeing Disney princesses who look like them, as seen in the below video shared by Bailey.
Backlash over casting non-white people in such roles is becoming more and more common in Disney productions, particularly as they relate to their live-action takes on animated classics. After being announced as Snow White, Rachel Zegler was also the target of trolls.
What are your thoughts on all of this backlash? Does it matter the race of the performer for such a role? Let us know in the comments below!