On May 26, The Little Mermaid finally arrived in theaters. The long-awaited live-action Disney remake reportedly brought in a domestic debut of $118.6 million over Memorial Day weekend and approximately $326 million worldwide. As the cast continues to celebrate their hard work, Jonah Hauer-King (who plays Prince Eric) recently shared some behind-the-scenes footage showcasing Halle Bailey’s (Princess Ariel) aquatic talents.
On the day of the premiere, Hauer-King began posting behind-the-scenes content on his Instagram account to honor the “hundreds (thousands?) of incredible people [who] worked on this film throughout the height of COVID. Very proud of them all and what they achieved.” The first flick featured him and Bailey walking in full costume in Sardinia, Italy. His most recent upload was yesterday (June 5).
halle’s training was tougher than the marines 😭 pic.twitter.com/Fb88WKyWu5
— ice🧊 (@iceriot2000) June 5, 2023
In the latest series, Hauer-King gave fans a glimpse of one of the outtakes of a “rescue” scene with Bailey holding the unresponsive prince as waves crashed over both of them in a hyper realistic pool mimicking the ocean. The clip is now going viral on Twitter with many wondering if the 23-year-old is really a mermaid. “We would’ve both drowned under my watch,” one person admitted after seeing the intense footage. “Baby, under the sea [for real, for real],” another responded. “Halle’s training was tougher than the Marines,” a user claimed.
In addition to the video, photos showed Bailey with a weighted face mask. One person commented, “She really had to be prepared for that hair flip.” The Color Purple actress’ long locs would have more than likely been heavier after being submerged in water. “Plus, she had to act like it’s just another normal day because water shouldn’t make her struggle,” another added of King Triton’s youngest daughter. In a previous interview, the Atlanta native dished on the filming process: “I’m trying to hold myself up with my core while singing and while acting and trying to look like I’m not shaking because it’s like a workout I’m doing, like a plank. So, it was all of the things, trying to weave them together and look like, ‘This is natural, this is a normal day. I swim in the ocean every day.’”
See others praising her acting below!
I would have drowned on set
— RubyRedKekeee 🦄 (@WillBarb44) June 6, 2023
I woulda been in there like this pic.twitter.com/aaML823am6
— Gla D. Boi (@RealYawlito) June 6, 2023
Halle Bailey training for her role in “The Little Mermaid”
She was training like an avenger. Maybe Marvel can call her?#TheLittleMermaid #HalleBailey pic.twitter.com/LfTViSJQE8
— sly (@scorpiolikeyou) June 6, 2023
oh the training paid off, she ate that hair flip 💅🏻 pic.twitter.com/N28GEFQAhS
— ice🧊 (@iceriot2000) June 5, 2023
She deserves all the flowers
— cherubic black hottie (@Desthescholar) June 5, 2023
Baby under the sea frfr
— ALL UP IN YOUR MIND (@queenlondy) June 6, 2023
plus she had to act like it's just another normal day because water shouldn't make her struggle
— Lila | S&B2 SPOILERS (@lilariss) June 5, 2023
incredible, i can't believe the waves were actually real omg
— Live-Action Ahsoka Fan Account (@LAahsokathinker) June 5, 2023
Chile.. give them all of their flowers cuz they would've gotten nothing out of me except distressed crying faces.
— Morana saysHello Summer☀️⛱️🏖 (@HelpmeJahRule) June 5, 2023
Geez they really put Halle to work on this film. Is this a Disney or a Marvel movie?
— Q A L C O V E (@QalcoveArt) June 6, 2023
These behind-the-scenes are pretty awesome to watch.
— kk060708 (@kk060708) May 30, 2023