Halle Bailey, star of Disney’s latest live action offering The Little Mermaid, went undercover to watch herself as the mermaid Ariel on the silver screen.
The Little Mermaid has emerged as a tremendous triumph at the box office, captivating countless movie enthusiasts over the extended holiday weekend.
Following the premiere of the film, Bailey took to TikTok, posting a video in which she recounted her personal encounter while viewing the movie.
To go unnoticed by fans, she cleverly donned sunglasses and a face mask. The video shows her successfully purchasing a bucket of popcorn and sneaking into a screening just as it was about to start.
In the footage, other moviegoers can be seen, including one person taking a selfie in front of a large Little Mermaid display, completely unaware that Bailey herself was casually walking by.
In her TikTok post, Bailey expresses her astonishment at The Little Mermaid becoming the number one movie worldwide. It opened to an impressive $185 million globally over the four-day period, with over $117 million coming from domestic theater screenings. The film’s success is further solidified by positive audience ratings, earning an A grade from CinemaScore and a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Prior to her role as Ariel, Halle Bailey found success in the music industry as part of the duo Chloe x Halle, alongside her sister. She also ventured into acting, starring in the series Grown-ish alongside her sibling.
Bailey is set to appear in the upcoming musical remake of The Color Purple. However, playing Ariel has been a dream come true for her. As a young girl, she fantasized about being a Disney Princess, never imagining that it could one day become a reality.
“It feels absolutely amazing to officially be a Disney Princess,” said Halle Bailey in an interview with ET. “I mean, I think that it’s something that we all have just had in our dreams. You have daydreams of pretending to be a Cinderella princess, or someone like that, and you never think that it would actually happen, so I just am really grateful to be in this position.”
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