Halle Bailey is expressing her gratitude.
The Little Mermaid star shared a candid message about what it means to be in the public eye—and why she’s appreciative of those who lead with kindness.
“I just also wanna say,” the 23-year-old wrote on her Dec. 5 Instagram Story, “I’m so very grateful for my real supporters who are respectful of women’s bodies and loving…”
She added, “Being under a microscope is not easy but for the real ones who show unconditional love religiously I appreciate you. I feel so blessed and grateful.”
Halle’s post came right after a slide teasing her upcoming with Rachel Zegler—who stars in the upcoming Snow White adaptation—for Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” series. The pairing is sound, as they are both are part of the next generation of Disney princesses in the live-action remakes—and, unfortunately, have the shared experience of facing criticism over their castings.
For her part, Halle’s casting as Ariel as a Black woman received racist backlash, to the point that Disney’s cable network, Freeform, released a statement defending the choice. And while Halle at one point admitted to E! News she felt “pressure” regarding taking on such an iconic role, that was gone by the time the premiere came around in November 2022, again telling E! News, “”I did my best, that’s all I can do. I’m just really grateful to see it all play out.”