Halle Bailey has been on the receiving end of some major criticism and negativity since being cast as Disney’s live-action Ariel, but The Little Mermaid star stepped in a completely different role post Halloween when she channeled her inner Catwoman on Instagram. In doing so, she’s seemingly leaning into the fact that some confuse her with Catwoman’s Halle Berry. The two stars are couple generations apart, but their names are still very similar and easily mixed up when typing them. (There are definitely worse things in the world than being mixed up with an absolute icon, though.)
Halle Bailey inspired awe when she revealed her Avatar-inspired Halloween costume last weekend, but it seems as though the holiday isn’t quite over where she is concerned. Bailey posted an Instagram story of herself in some pretty familiar leather cat ears, and we can’t help but think it’s a response and nod to Halle Berry, who’s arguably one of the most beloved actresses to have graced the role and has openly shown her support for Bailey. Take a look at Bailey in the costume below:
While her Catwoman look isn’t nearly as intricate as her Avatar costume or Halle Berry’s film-ready, OG version of the look, we can’t deny that it looks good on the young star. It’s also worth mentioning that the white stitching is also reminiscent of the style that Michelle Pfeiffer’s version of the DC antihero possessed. We shouldn’t be surprised by the singer’s ability to channel an icon character. Because seeing her transform into The Little Mermaid’s Ariel in the recently released first trailer was nothing short of magical.
Though there are still some naysayers and racist comments regarding her Disney casting floating around, Halle Bailey has experienced a surge of positivity and support for her upcoming portrayal of the Disney princess. Little girls around the world are loving the trailer featuring Bailey, and parents are posting touching videos of their Black daughters seeing her sing on screen as the mermaid.
The Grown-ish star has also received some massive support from big names in Hollywood. Trevor Noah defended her against racist comments and musical talent and Little Mermaid composer and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda has committed to not giving the gross comments “oxygen”. The actress has also been supported publicly by original Ariel actress Jodi Benson.
Although Halle Berry seems to be in full support of Halle Bailey and her portrayal of Ariel, saying she can’t wait to see her in the role, she does seem to be getting tired of being confused with the much younger actress. Berry recently responded to one confused commentator, who thought they cast the 56-year-old actress as Ariel, with a seemingly annoyed and blunt gif. This shouldn’t take away any love aimed toward Bailey, though, especially since she obviously appreciates Berry and her contributions to the representation of Black women in film, exemplified by her Catwoman reference.
Though we aren’t set to see her actually take on the role of Batman”s main squeeze on screen, Halle Bailey has already secured her first role after filming The Little Mermaid. We can expect to see her in the musical remake of Oprah’s The Color Purple. Both moves can be seen on CinemaBlend’s schedule of 2023 new movies releases.