Daryl Hannah Backs Halle Bailey Amid Furor: 'The Little Mermaid Is Black'

Daryl Hannah has spoken out in defense of Halle Bailey, amid online criticism of her being cast as the lead in Disney's upcoming live-action version of The Little Mermaid.

In the days since a teaser trailer for the movie was released, a wave of trolls have taken to YouTube to downvote the video, while others have used other platforms to criticize Bailey's casting as Ariel because she is Black.

When Bailey, 22, was cast in the role back in 2019, the movie's director, Rob Marshall, said that after an extensive search, it was "abundantly clear" that the singer and screen star was the perfect choice.

Hannah, who played mermaid Madison in the 1984 classic romantic comedy Splash, with Tom Hanks, has tweeted to support Bailey.

"The little mermaid is black / I met her / there!" Hannah, 61, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, finishing her tweet with "don't be a racist dork" in hashtag form.

Hannah, who is an environmental activist, suggested in another tweet on Thursday that those who are so upset about Bailey's casting should direct their energy at other issues.

"wow / folx seem to be getting super worked up & agro about the melanin of an imaginary character," she tweeted, "how bout getting worked up about the fossil fuel industry & the actual fact that they make mega profit$ off destroying our life support systems & our shared future."

She also tweeted that the viral video montage of Black children lighting up with joy while watching the trailer was a "beautiful reaction."

The first teaser trailer of the movie was unveiled at Disney's D23 Expo 2022 in Anaheim, California, on September 9, showing Bailey in the musical.

Sadly, there was a backlash against casting a Black Ariel, and the trailer's release led to yet more racist criticism on social media.

The hashtag #NotMyAriel trended in 2019, and it has seen something of a resurgence, not dissimilar to the conversation surrounding the diverse casting of House of the Dragon and Rings of Power.

Despite the backlash, people praising the film and Bailey's performance appear to outweigh the negativity.

Discussing the role in an interview with Variety, published in August, Bailey said: "I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they're special, and that they should be a princess in every single way.

"There's no reason that they shouldn't be. That reassurance was something that I needed."

The Little Mermaid will premiere in theaters in May 2023.