Credit: Inside the MagicWhile filming one of the most iconic scenes from the original animated classic, The Little Mermaid (2023), star Halle Bailey almost suffered a catastrophic injury.
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Directed by Rob Marshall with songs written by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Little Mermaid retells the story of the original 1989 animated classic and stars Halle Bailey as the Disney princess Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Awkwafina as Scuttle, and Daveed Diggs as Sebastian.
The original 1989 animated movie is filled with classic film moments, including “Part of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Soul,” and Ariel’s hair flip after she’s given legs by Ursula the Sea Witch. In fact, it’s that last moment that spelled disaster for star Halle Bailey.
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In a video featuring the cast’s reaction to The Little Mermaid trailer, viewers witnessed Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina, and Daveed Diggs react to classic recreated moments. However, one moment featured a sobering admission from Bailey.
“I almost broke my neck. My hair was so heavy.”
While the hair-flipping moment in the 1989 film was iconic and gorgeous, it’s easy to forget how painful it is to do that in real-life, especially when your hair goes well past your shoulders. As countless girls who have tried this in swimming pools or on beach trips can tell you, this can severely damage your neck.
The rest of the cast’s reaction video is dedicated to everyone seeing their characters for the first time, with Daveed Diggs excitedly pointing out their scene while Awkwafina stares in awe and Melissa McCarthy wanting to warn Ariel to stay away from her character, Ursula.
This isn’t the only kind of adversity Bailey has faced in regard to The Little Mermaid. However, she has repeatedly proven that she is a champion and more than fit enough to carry the mantle of Ariel.
What has you most excited about the upcoming The Little Mermaid? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!