West Side Storystar Rachel Zegler recently came to the defense of Halle Bailey against one of the many racist attacks theLittle Mermaidlead has been facing. After the first trailer forDisney’s live-actionThe Little Mermaidwas released, previously uninterested people came out of the woodwork to complain about the race of Ariel’s actress. But many, including Zegler, are having none of it.
When yet another interested party added to the pile of bizarre attacks claiming Black actress Bailey isn’t an accurate portrayal of a fictional character, the complainant decided to drag Zegler into the argument as a shield against claims of racism directed at his argument. Zegler was cast last year as the lead inDisney’s upcoming live-actionSnow White, a move which earned its own share of racist criticism. However, this particular user called out Zegler’s casting as a good choice while using it to trash Bailey as Ariel, and Zegler refused to be used as ammo in that particular attack.
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The user in question said that Zegler “is a good choice forthe role of Snow Whitebecause she looks just like her,” before diminishing Bailey’s casting by saying she can play the part on Broadway but not in a movie. Zegler replied to the Twitter user without mincing words, saying, “if you don’t support my girl halle, who is the perfect ariel, you don’t support any of us.” It was a clear and no-nonsense response, offering a satisfying clap back at one of the (unfortunately) many race-related complaints Bailey has had to deal with since her casting.
Zegler has been enjoying a successful career lately, particularly with her leading role in the incredibly well-receivedWest Side Storyremake and a part inthe upcomingHunger Gamesprequel. Her casting as Snow White drew a similar sort of ire that Bailey is dealing with, particularly as a Latina actress playing the part of a traditionally white character. But she seems to be handling it well, even coming to the defense of others in the same sort of situation as seen in her Twitter reply.
Meanwhile, Bailey has also accomplished plenty at around the same young age as Zegler. She formed the R&B duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chloe at barely 11 years old, earning 5 Grammy nominations since 2018. Though that likely would have been enough for any mortal human, she kept going, joining the sitcomGrown-ishas Skyler Forster and continuing to grow her acting career. Aside fromher upcoming role inThe Little Mermaid, to the delight of little girls everywhere, she’s also set to star in the 2023 adaptation of the classic coming-of-age taleThe Color Purple.
It’s clear that Bailey has the chops and experience to back up her new role. But even if she didn’t,there’s no excusing racist attacks. It’s good to see people like Zegler join in solidarity for their fellow stars of color, and the more closed-minded people get called out publicly like this, maybe the more they’ll realize their bigotry just isn’t worth it.
