'The Little Mermaid' Cast Interview With Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-king And More

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Watch 'The Little Mermaid' Cast Interview With Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-king And More - Blavity on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00 - Khaled, I'll start with you first.

00:01 So we've been through so much

00:03 since you were first cast in this film.

00:05 I was speaking with Yara Shahidi the other day

00:07 about what it means to be, you know,

00:09 Wendy in "Peter Pan and Wendy."

00:11 And she was saying how, you know,

00:12 so much has happened in the way it was filmed

00:14 and then COVID, the pandemic, everything.

00:16 She hasn't really been able to like sit in the meaning

00:19 of what all of her casting means

00:21 and what, you know, to actually be in this moment

00:23 until right now.

00:24 So I wanna know, what has this journey been like for you

00:26 from start to finish, from, you know,

00:28 coming off of y'all's album to diving into this,

00:32 I guess, literally, I figured,

00:33 I didn't mean to say diving into it, it's a pun,

00:35 but diving into all of this,

00:38 how has this journey been like?

00:40 - Yes, well, this journey has been

00:42 such a beautiful experience for me,

00:45 a transformative experience for me, honestly,

00:47 because I auditioned for this film when I was 18

00:50 and I just turned 23 this year.

00:54 So it's been five years of my life

00:56 of just intense amazingness

00:59 and I've just had such gratitude

01:01 to be a part of a project like this

01:03 with such talented people like Jonah

01:06 and being a part of this film meant the world to me

01:09 because not only do I get to take on a role

01:12 that I've known and loved since I was a little girl,

01:15 which is honestly healing to the inner child within me,

01:19 but I get to reinvent this version of the Ariel

01:22 that we all know and show these children,

01:25 particularly these brown and black children,

01:28 that they deserve to be in these spaces

01:30 and that they deserve to see themselves on screen.

01:32 So honestly, it's just been a whirlwind of gratitude

01:36 and I'm just so grateful to be a part of it.

01:38 - Yes, yes, absolutely.

01:40 And Jonah, for you, in this version of Eric

01:44 that we made in this film, there's so much curiosity.

01:47 I think that drives so much of what he does in this movie.

01:50 For you, what was it like adding different dimensions

01:53 to the character that we may not have seen necessarily

01:55 in the animated classic?

01:57 - So fun.

01:59 We had a three-month rehearsal stage

02:01 where we talked so much about the script

02:03 and about the characters,

02:04 and that was a big thing for David McGee, our writer,

02:07 and Rob, our director, of really trying to evolve

02:11 who he was and try to get to know him better.

02:15 And you're right about the curiosities.

02:16 I think that was a really surprising thing

02:18 about the story that I loved,

02:19 which is that Ariel teaches him so much

02:22 and he teaches her too.

02:24 They both have this shared fascination

02:25 of the above world and the underworld.

02:28 That was something that was sort of there a little bit

02:31 in the original, but I think was properly dug into on this.

02:35 And I think it really enriched their relationship as well

02:40 because they were kindred spirits.

02:43 - Yes, yes.

02:44 And Halle, as far as the music in this film,

02:47 how do you think the song selections

02:49 both honor these original classic songs that everyone knows

02:53 but also add a modern twist to them as well?

02:56 - Yes, so these songs mean so much to all of us.

03:01 I mean, ever since we were children,

03:03 it's such a nostalgic feeling to be able to recreate

03:07 the songs that we've known and loved for so long.

03:09 And I think there's something to be said about Jodie Benson,

03:13 who was an icon, who was a legend,

03:15 whose work can never be touched ever.

03:18 And I just am filled with such gratitude

03:22 that she was so kind to me

03:23 and kind of passed me the baton in this way.

03:26 And I was grateful to Rob Marshall and everyone as well

03:29 for allowing me to have creative freedom.

03:33 I am a singer and I kind of go all over the place

03:36 and like to riff and be me.

03:38 And they just honestly let me be me

03:40 when it came to the recording of these songs for the film.

03:43 And that was the most freeing experience.

03:45 - You've taught so much to yourself throughout there.

03:47 - Thank you.

03:48 - You really did.

03:49 - Thanks.

03:50 But that was like, you know, really freeing for me.

03:51 So the fact that now with these new songs,

03:55 like Jonah has this amazing song

03:57 called "Wild Uncharted Waters"

03:58 and Scuttle has a song, like it's really cool.

04:02 But the fact that they were composed by Alan Menken still,

04:06 and he was still very much in the process

04:09 with him and Lin-Manuel.

04:10 It feels like we're honoring this film in the right way

04:14 by having the original composers create to it.

04:18 So, yeah.

04:19 - Alan was amazing for this whole process,

04:23 not just because of the fact that he was working on it again

04:25 but it felt like having his blessing

04:28 was really important for us.

04:29 And on our first day of rehearsals,

04:31 we had this big lunch for the cast, a lot of the crew

04:34 and Alan stood up and he said,

04:36 "I didn't think I would be here 30 years on,

04:39 but here I am and I'm so happy it's happening.

04:42 It's in safe hands."

04:43 Howard Ashman would be happy.

04:45 He's looking down on us

04:46 and it was this really moving moment.

04:48 And I think at that point we thought,

04:50 okay, we have the blessing

04:51 of some of the original filmmakers,

04:54 Jodie, like you mentioned.

04:55 So, yeah, that was a really nice platform for us.

04:59 - Yeah.

04:59 - I can't wait to see how fans reacted to the music

05:01 'cause I know for a while,

05:03 we only had like those few seconds

05:05 of "Hallelujah" reedition of "Far Your World"

05:07 and like, that's what everybody's done,

05:09 posting on social media with all their TikTok.

05:11 And then finally, when we had more,

05:13 the internet was like,

05:14 "Yes, I can't wait to see more of this."

05:15 So I feel like it's gonna be the same reaction

05:17 when everyone hears all this great new music

05:20 and just also see the film

05:21 because it's just that good.

05:23 But thank you both so, so much for your time.

05:26 I can't wait for everyone to see this movie

05:28 and I hope you both enjoy the rest of your day.

05:30 - Thank you. - Thank you so much.

05:31 Nice to meet you.

05:32 - Davina, I'll start with you first.

05:33 What was it like striking a chord

05:35 between the seriousness of Sebastian,

05:38 like he wants to be taken seriously by the king.

05:40 He has this virtue of himself

05:42 that he thinks of himself as,

05:43 but there's also the playful nature

05:45 of the character as well.

05:46 And I feel like this version of the film

05:48 kind of does a good balance

05:50 between both of these versions of Sebastian.

05:54 So what was it like for you

05:55 when you were diving into the character?

05:57 - Oh, good.

05:57 I'm glad you think the balance is right.

05:59 I think that's exactly right,

06:00 but I think the things that are funniest about Sebastian

06:03 are how serious he takes himself.

06:05 So kind of as we kept working on it,

06:08 like the more I leaned into that,

06:10 the funnier it seemed to be to me.

06:12 So even when he plays, he's playing very seriously.

06:16 - Yes, yes.

06:19 And Jacob, for you,

06:21 of course you're no stranger to animated films.

06:23 You know, "Luca" a few years back,

06:26 "My Heart is a Dragon" just last year.

06:28 How do you think preparing for this film

06:30 was different from the previous animated films

06:32 that you've been a part of?

06:34 - Well, actually, the deal was like,

06:38 it was still very, very different.

06:41 For doing "Luca" and "My Heart is a Dragon"

06:42 is it was, I was in like a booth

06:45 with like a microphone, just like pretty much by myself.

06:48 But what was different about this

06:51 is that we actually were all together

06:52 and they almost set it up like a stage pretty much.

06:55 So we recorded our lines for the movie

06:57 and also so that they would have it for Halle

06:59 when she was doing her scenes with us.

07:02 And what was funny is that

07:04 since I was so used to doing it the other way,

07:05 I didn't know that we were actually recording.

07:08 I thought it was just a rehearsal,

07:09 but thankfully because everyone was there

07:11 and there obviously was still like a lot of pressure,

07:13 I decided just to give it my 100,

07:15 like give it my all, just like how I do it on the day,

07:18 just because everyone was there, you know,

07:19 you weren't pressed, but.

07:20 (all laughing)

07:22 Thankfully, that's the way I think and yeah, so yeah.

07:26 - Yeah, yeah.

07:27 And Awkwafina for you,

07:29 scuttled in this version of the film,

07:32 performs on "Kiss the Girl."

07:34 There's also a new song that you and Davide perform as well.

07:38 So how was it like having this musical element

07:40 for the character kind of more so in this film

07:43 than the animated classic?

07:46 - I mean, it's so cool.

07:47 I think scuttled, but was a surprise.

07:52 I didn't know that we were,

07:53 going in I thought that maybe they just needed to know

07:55 that like I could do my part in like "Kiss the Girl,"

07:59 which is definitely like, you know,

08:01 supporting this awesome Marvel,

08:04 but like, but yeah, when I heard that

08:06 and then also knowing that Lynn was in the process

08:09 of writing it and then getting it,

08:10 I think it was truly an honor to perform a song

08:14 that was written by someone that I admire so much

08:16 and it totally is in that style.

08:19 So it was a really cool element of the character.

08:21 Yeah, and I think in this one,

08:23 it definitely expands scuttle a little bit.

08:26 So that's, I'm very grateful for that.

08:28 - Yes, yes.

08:29 And for all of you, you know,

08:30 this is such a big, massive project.

08:33 I mean, you know, all eyes on "Little Mermaid"

08:36 because it's such a classic and people want to see,

08:38 you know, how it, you know, translates to this new version.

08:41 When taking on, you know, roles like this

08:44 and stepping into big shoes, you know,

08:47 do you ever think, you know,

08:49 are we going to get it right?

08:50 Are we going to get it wrong?

08:50 What do you think is the thoughts that you have

08:53 when, you know, taking on roles like this

08:55 that have already been inhabited before,

08:57 but you think more about like making your own

09:00 or do you think more about, you know,

09:02 sticking to what fans know?

09:04 - I think, you know, one thing you have to have,

09:07 you have control of,

09:08 'cause sometimes you don't know, right?

09:09 You don't know how something

09:10 is ultimately going to be received,

09:12 but you can know what the character is,

09:15 who's behind it, you know, who else is leading it.

09:19 And if you can trust those components,

09:21 I think that that's enough to make you feel

09:23 like you can trust it,

09:24 but then also like feel really good about it.

09:26 And, you know, to know that like,

09:28 I pride myself on those instincts, you know,

09:31 'cause I definitely felt that about this movie.

09:34 - Yeah.

09:35 - I had a lot of faith in Rob.

09:36 I mean, as soon as I went on set,

09:37 I knew exactly what they were doing.

09:39 And when I saw the screener,

09:41 or not screener, I kind of just saw it

09:42 on my own with my family.

09:44 I was like, yeah, they definitely nailed it.

09:46 So, no, it was really cool to be a part of it.

09:50 - Yeah, I think Rob and the whole production

09:52 did such a great job of letting us play,

09:56 of like, you know, setting up the boundaries of the world

09:59 where it was just like, oh yeah,

10:00 we get to come here and do the thing that we do.

10:03 And yeah, so it was, yeah, it was awesome.

10:08 And it took, whether I can't remember,

10:10 I'm sure I was stressed about it before

10:12 because I'm stressed about everything.

10:14 That's the kind of person I am.

10:15 But by the time we started working,

10:17 it was just show up, have fun.

10:20 - Yeah.

10:21 - Say things, sing songs.

10:23 - Yeah.

10:25 - Awesome, awesome.

10:26 Well, thank you three so, so much.

10:28 I enjoyed this chat.

10:28 I can't wait for everyone to see this film.

10:30 - Thank you.

10:31 - Thank you.

10:32 - Thank you, have a good one.

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