Clipping rapper Daveed Diggs praised his The Little Mermaid costar, Halle Bailey, in a new interview with Sirius XM Stars. Diggs is set to appear in the film as Sebastian.
“I’m excited too, I haven’t seen anything,” Diggs told the outlet. “It’s not like Disney be giving me private screenings of nothing… Halle is a star. She’s really, really special.”
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Bailey’s appearance will be the first time a Black woman has been cast for the role of Ariel. In response to the announcement, a vocal group of racist haters attempted to start a boycott of the film using the “#notmyariel” hashtag.
“I’m just grateful and I don’t pay attention to the negativity,” Bailey said at the time, regarding the hateful messages. “I just feel like this role is something bigger than me and greater and it’s gonna be beautiful. I’m just so excited to be apart of it.”
The rest of the cast includes Jonah Hauer-King, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina.
In addition to The Little Mermaid, Bailey has appeared in the ABC sitcom Grown-ish and is one half of the R&B duo, Chloe x Halle, which she formed with her sister.
[Via]