Halle Bailey is excited to be part of your world.
In an exclusive interview with E! News at the D23 Expo, Halle shared her sentiments on playing Ariel in the new version of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Visibly emotional, the singer said, "I'm so excited about this film. You know being here today is so surreal. I'm just a fan of all of the other projects and the fact that I get to be a part of something like this. It's amazing."
The film is already stirring up quite the buzz ahead of its release next year, and she understandably feels that the pressure is on. "I definitely think that because I love this movie so much, and I've treasured it since I was a little girl, I did put a bit of pressure on myself," she shared. "Just because I want to deliver all of the feels that I saw when I was a little girl."
Now all grown up, that little girl has transformed into the Little Mermaid, saying she gave it her all. Halle noted, "Knowing that gave it my all and gave 110 percent into everything of this film, I am really proud of myself."
And she should be after seeing the film's first teaser at the Disney event. Her adorable reaction was all of us: As the 22-year-old put it, "Wow, it's really good."
Directed by Rob Marshall, The Little Mermaid also stars Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle and Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric.
The Little Mermaid premieres in theaters on May 26, 2023.