Disney sisters stick together, and that has been proven once again as Rachel Zegler responded directly to a critic of Halle Bailey’s Little Mermaid casting. Since the arrival of the first trailer footage of Bailey’s Ariel from Disney’s upcoming live-action movie, there has been a renewed surge of online comments against the choice of Bailey, but that is something that Rachel Zegler was not about to let slide.

Zegler will be appearing in another live-action Disney remake as Snow White, and she has been on the end of her fair share of troll comments herself due to that casting. However, when one particular user on Twitter chose to show support for her Snow White, but joined the #NotMyAriel hashtag and said that Bailey could “be the Little Mermaid on Broadway if she wishes, but not in a movie”, Zegler had to respond with a short and to the point message. She said:

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While it would have been easy for Zegler to take the compliment in silence and keep out of the conversation, it seems that she is not in it for herself and would much rather take the stance of all for one and one for all. Considering the pressure young actresses have taking on such iconic roles anyway, adding in constant derogatory opinions on social media could make the likes of Zegler and Bailey want to hide away, but thankfully, their clear support for each other seems to be helping them beat back their haters.

“If you don’t support my girl Halle, who is the perfect Ariel, you don’t support any of us.”

Halle Bailey Got Emotional Seeing Black Children React To The Little Mermaid Trailer

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When taking on a role in any Disney movie, actors and actresses have the ability to inspire a whole generation. In becoming Ariel, Halle Baily has seen a huge reaction from young, black girls who have taken to the footage of her as the titular mermaid exactly as she hoped. In previous interviews, Bailey has made clear her intention in taking on the part, saying:

The Little Mermaid is still some way off unveiling its full trailer, with the movie not due to hit cinemas until May 26, 2023, but there are plenty of people who will be eager to see more character reveals when it finally arrives.

“I want the little girl in me and the little girls just like me who are watching to know that they’re special, and that they should be a princess in every single way. There’s no reason that they shouldn’t be. That reassurance was something that I needed. It was an inspiring and beautiful thing to hear their words of encouragement, telling me, ‘You don’t understand what this is doing for us, for our community, for all the little Black and brown girls who are going to see themselves in you,’. What that would have done for me, how that would have changed my confidence, my belief in myself, everything. Things that seem so small to everyone else, it’s so big to us.”