'The Little Mermaid' director "I didn't think of casting a black man"
Rob Marshall, director of the movie 'The Little Mermaid', has opened up about the controversy over casting black singer and actress Halle Bailey.

On the 17th (local time), Media Deadline published an interview with Rob Marshall, director of Disney's live-action film of the same name, 'The Little Mermaid'.

'The Little Mermaid' director "I didn't think of casting a black man"
Regarding the casting of Halle Bailey, director Rob Marshall said, "When we started casting, I first saw Harley at the Grammy Awards. We were casting all over the place, and we didn't have the heart to cast a black woman. We just wanted to find the best Ariel." "He got lucky. Then, of Halle Bailey, "I saw this beautiful creature singing like an angel at the Grammy Awards. I didn't know if she could act, but when she sang 'Part of Your World' and by the end of the song I was in tears. I didn't even know she was shedding. She was so deeply connected to the emotions of the song."

Rob Marshall also recalled the time when Halle Bailey was confirmed for the role of Ariel and announced the casting news. He replied, "I called Harley and asked, 'Do you have Ariel?' Harley said that when she was young, she used to pretend to be Ariel. To Harley, 'The Little Mermaid' was a movie that gave her great inspiration and fun as a child."

'The Little Mermaid' director "I didn't think of casting a black man"
Regarding the controversy surrounding the casting of Halle Bailey, a black woman, as Ariel in 'The Little Mermaid', he said, "I didn't think it was a big deal. When bigots caused such controversy, I thought they were from another century. Do you still have it?" He said, "By casting Harley, it's a big plus that boys and girls of color think, 'Wow, I'm the main character', and it moved me very much."

In addition, director Rob Marshall said, "It was the most challenging in my career" while making 'The Little Mermaid', which sings and acts in the water. He explained, "I didn't want only the technical aspect to drive the box office success. The most important things were emotion, story, character, and acting."

'The Little Mermaid', a live-action adaptation of the popular 1989 animation of the same name, will be released on the 26th.

Jiye Choi, staff reporter at TenAsia wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr
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