Halle Bailey shined on the big screen with her incredible performance in the fantasy musical movie The Little Mermaid. The movie arrived in the theatres on 26 May 2023 and was able to impress the audience.
Even though the 23-year-old actor’s casting in the movie invited many controversies, people loved the singer and actress as the mermaid. Before Bailey was cast as the lead in the movie Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent co-star was also offered the film.
Elle Fanning was offered to play the lead role in the movie The Mermaid
Halle Bailey was offered the 2024 movie The Little Mermaid reportedly after Elle Fanning turned down the deal to star in the Disney movie. Reportedly, the actress wanted to stick to being a part of Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent film series. The 25-year-old actress reportedly doesn’t regret rejecting the offer to be a part of Rob Marshall’s movie.
Of course, the creative force behind the movie, director Marshall knew Bailey was his Ariel right after seeing her auditions but the Super 8 actress was also in the minds of the makers. For Fanning, starring in a movie with the Eternals actress was one of the biggest moments of her life. During an interview, the actress recalled how nervous she was when she first came across Jolie.
Elle Fanning recalls how Angelina Jolie gave her a big hug when they first met each other
Fanning talked about the first time she met the Salt actress on the sets of Maleficent. The We Bought a Zoo actress recalled how she was nervous to see the actress she knew was so famous all around the world. While remembering her first meeting with the 48-year-old actress, the Teen Spirit actress said,
“I was extremely nervous to meet her. You hear that name and it’s the most famous, ever. You know exactly who she is and what she’s done. I remember during rehearsals at Pinewood Studios, I didn’t know that I was going to meet her that day. We were doing costume fittings, and then everyone started saying, She’s here! She’s here! And I was like, My god! The knot was growing in my stomach. “
Fanning further added,
“And then, I turned the corner, and there she was. She was there in no horns or anything. She was normal, with normal clothes. Because we’re both big huggers, she gave me a giant hug, right away. She shook my shoulders and said, “We’re gonna have so much fun working together. To have Angelina Jolie just hug you right away was really impactful.”
Fanning said even after she started working with the Orginal Sin actress she would still feel butterflies every time she was around her. The 25-year-old actress described Jolie as super playful and she also mentioned that they would talk about normal things.
Source: Collider; Nicki Swift
