MANILA, Philippines — Disney has given its Oscar-winning animated musical The Little Mermaid a live-action revival — reintroducing the “timeless tale” originally written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen in 1837 to a whole new generation of moviegoers. The film opens in Philippine cinemas on May 24.
Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) with a screenplay by David Magee, The Little Mermaid is described as “ambitious in scale but grounded in reality” as it tells an intimate story set against an epic “under the sea” backdrop about the free-spirited and adventurous mermaid Ariel who wants to see the world.
The Little Mermaid features Halle Bailey as Ariel, Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Noma Dumezweni as The Queen, Art Malik as Sir Grimsby, with Javier Bardem as King Triton and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.
During a recently-held virtual presscon for the global press, some of the stars shared their thoughts about being part of the reimagining of the animated classic that was released way back in 1989. They still have vivid memories of watching the original Disney movie in their childhood.
Diggs said that he honestly had a hard time wrapping his head around the thought that he’s part of a material that once figured in his growing-up years and will now be part of another child’s memories. “So, I don’t think about it much. But a good friend of mine — a really good friend of mine who the day I got cast was, like, I’m bringing my daughter to the premiere, whenever that is. So he brought his daughter to the premiere last night. And that was such a special experience.”
“And then me, remembering that I (also) stood in line to see the Little Mermaid opening night in Oakland, you know, when it first came out. It was just this moment of, oh, yeah, this thing that was sort of a fundamental part of my childhood is gonna be that maybe for this little girl, who was also so terrified of Ursula that I had to introduce her to Melissa afterwards so that she didn’t have nightmares,” he added.
As for Bardem, he said he couldn’t wait for his own kids to watch his latest film in Madrid. The Spanish star felt honored “to be in such a classic and in this amazing movie that Rob (Marshall, director) and John (DeLuca, producer) have made.”
He joked that his only concern was his character would bare his bod on the big screen as in the animated version. “And I’m very thankful that he put on an (armor?) Rob and John, having me bare-naked, I mean, that was the only thing that I was really worried about. Like, Rob, don’t do that to me. ‘Don’t worry, you have an armor,’ (he said).”
Hauer-King, on the other hand, shared Diggs’ sentiment about joining The Little Mermaid cast. “It’s hard to wrap your head around it. The first time I saw it a couple weeks ago, I was with my family and some of the cast who are based in the UK. And Art Malik was there, who plays Sir Grimsby, and he brought his grandson out there, who is eight years old,” he recalled.
“And it was amazing seeing my mom’s reaction. It was amazing seeing my sister’s reaction. But seeing this little boy’s reaction, who I’d never met before, and seeing how taken in by the story he was, how transported by it, it was really, really special, because he was just with it.
“And his eyes were wide and he was laughing and crying, and just watching it through his eyes was really, really special.”
Hauer-King then addressed Bardem and quipped, “It must be nice for you that your kids can watch this one, ‘cause No Country For Old Men probably not so much, right?”
“That was one of the reasons you did this film, right, so they could actually watch something,” he added.
Bardem, who actually snagged an Oscar for his performance in the previously-mentioned Western crime-thriller, jokingly agreed, “So, at least, they know that I have a job.”
Hauer-King was quick to react: “Yeah, ‘I am actually an actor.’”
Meanwhile, for director/producer Marshall, the three most important things when making a film are “cast, cast, cast.” Here’s what we know so far about the entire cast of The Little Mermaid, as per production notes.
Ariel is played by 23-year-old Bailey, who is one-half of the Grammy-nominated R&B duo Chloe x Halle. For the filmmakers, granting the lead role to a young woman of color was an easy decision to make. “We were just looking for the best actor for the role, period. We saw everybody and every ethnicity. There really was no agenda,” Marshall said. “As a director, your hope is that an actor comes in and claims the role and says, ‘This is mine.’ And that’s exactly what happened with Halle.”
The US singer, who apparently won over the filmmakers the moment she rendered Ariel’s signature song Part of Your World as an audition piece, shared how her character resonated with her. “There’s something so special about being a mermaid because it’s a mix between this mythical, beautiful creature and your authentic self,” she said, adding that she believes this is the reason why many children respond positively to the character. “It’s like, yes, I can be this sort of magical being by just being who I am, and I am special the way that I am. That’s why it really resonated with me.”
Prince Eric is played by Hauer-King (A Dog’s Way Home). “We wanted Eric to be full of passion and heart. We needed him to want as much as Ariel wants, to have that adventurous spirit and to have this inner strength, which Jonah has. Everyone loves Jonah. He’s interested in other people, he’s caring, and he’s smart, and just an all-round great guy. And the camera loves him,” producer DeLuca said of the 27-year-old actor and newest big-screen heartthrob.
Ursula is essayed by two-time Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Can You Ever Forgive Me?). The sea witch, who is half-woman/half-octopus, has been plotting her revenge and power takeover after being banished by her brother, King Triton, for her misdeeds.
According to McCarthy, her goal was to “create a villain you can love and despite at the same time.” “I never thought I would get to play such a wildly iconic villain,” the actress-comedian further said. “She is delicious and she’s a broad, and in fact, I always picture her in my head as holding a martini and a cigarette. She’s so dishy and conniving, and yet I still always feel for her because she’s the outcast and she didn’t start off bad.”
King Triton is portrayed by Bardem (No Country for Old Men). “I was especially drawn to the relationship he has with his daughter,” said the veteran star, “because even though he loves her very much, it’s not always in the best ways. He needs to grow up and face what he fears the most, which is his daughter’s freedom, her independence, and that conflict was very interesting to me.”
Sebastian, the crab who serves as trusted advisor to King Triton, is voiced by Tony Award-winner Diggs (Hamilton, Snowpiercer). He begrudgingly becomes Ariel’s guardian to report her activities back to the king. Though grumpy and full of anxiety, he has a “soft spot” for his mermaid ward. “Sebastian is a very serious crab who takes his job very seriously,” said Diggs in the press notes. “He’s really the only one Triton goes to for all his big decisions and advice.”
Scuttle, voiced by Awkwafina (Raya and the Last Dragon, Crazy Rich Asians), is a “neurotic, dim-witted diving seabird/land bird” who thinks of herself as an expert on all things human. Though “clueless most of the time,” her loyaty to Ariel is unquestionable.
For the Asian-American actress-comedienne, Scuttle is a dream role. “One of the most memorable scenes of my childhood is the dinglehopper scene in which we are introduced to Scuttle,” Awkwafina said. “I didn’t know what was going on when I first went to meet with Rob Marshall. I didn’t know it was about playing Scuttle, but inside I was like, maybe it’s about Scuttle? Because I would have been happy to be a dancing clam in the background.”
Flounder is voiced by Jacob Tremblay (Luca, Good Boys). A timid fish, who is Ariel’s best friend, Flounder comes across as “boyishly charming but is still somewhat childish and a little skittish.”
“Jacob has become one of the best actors of his generation,” said DeLuca of Tremblay. “I was wowed by his intense professionalism, great instincts and infectious charm.”
The other cast members are acclaimed British actress Noma Dumezweni (Mary Poppins Returns) who plays Eric’s adoptive mother and Pakistani-British actor Art Malik as the Prime Minister Sir Grimsby, who is Eric’s caretaker and father figure.
Marshall proudly noted that it’s rare to be able to gather a cast that carries such a “range of diversity and talent.” He said, “I was aware the entire time we were rehearsing and filming that we had assembled a truly remarkable cast, who were honestly fated to bring these roles to life.”