THE LITTLE MERMAID DIRECTOR Rob Marshall talks casting his first choice actress Halle Bailey for the role of Ariel

Disney’s live action The little Mermaid hits theaters this coming Friday and fans can’t wait to see the film, which will showcase the incredible talents of the all-star cast led by Halle Bailey like the siren of the title, Ariel. Bailey sounds like a real-life Disney princess, with chops to play a part of her written around her voice. The director of the film, Rob Marshallwhich he previously directed Nine, Annie, Into the Woods AND Mary Poppins Returnsrecently spoke to Deadline about finding the perfect lead, and when asked to hear her sing, he said:

I first saw Halle at the Grammys when we were just starting casting. We were looking everywhere and there was no program to choose a black woman. Only, let’s find the best Ariel. And then I saw this beautiful creature, singing like an angel at the Grammys. I thought, who is this? We brought it inside her. I had no idea if she could act, but I thought, she’s so ethereal and otherworldly about her. And when she sang Part of Your World at the end of the song, I was in tears. I wasn’t even aware that I was in tears. She was so deeply connected to the emotion of the song. You know, she just has a natural depth to her.

He continued:

The tricky thing about Ariel is that you ask for so many things. You’re asking for innocence and vulnerability, but strength at the same time. A strong-willed, almost stubborn type of character who sees what he wants and goes and gets it. But there had to be joy on her part, and Halle had it all. She was the first actress we saw for the film, the first. And then we saw everyone else. She has set the bar so high and no one has surpassed her. We auditioned with her, and it was just, well, that’s about it. I immediately went to Bob Iger with the audition tape and within minutes he was like, yeah, sure. She is Ariel.

When asked about the controversy that arose when a black woman was announced as the actress who would play Ariel, Marshall said:

I didn’t think it was such a big deal to pick a black woman. I thought, it’s an archaic way of seeing the world. When that controversy arose, from narrow-minded people, I was like, wow, this really feels like it’s from another century. Are we really still there? But the upside that came with that casting, and I wasn’t aware of it at the time, is seeing these black girls and black boys looking at her and thinking, wow, I’m represented. It was very, very moving for me.

I loved seeing the reactions of people of color seeing Halle Bailey in the role. She has such an amazing voice. She really embodies the part and I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with the film.

Clock The little Mermaid in theaters May 26.