'Lion King's' Donald Glover sends message of support to 'Little Mermaid's' Halle Bailey
"I thought that was so special," he said of her casting.
Donald Glover is starring in what may be the biggest film of the year, the new "The Lion King."
But the actor and Grammy-winning musician took some time to send a message to a fellow upcoming Disney remake star -- "The Little Mermaid's" Halle Bailey.
Bailey has had to deal with hashtags like #NotMyAriel from a certain group of "Little Mermaid" fans after she was announced as the lead in the live-action remake set for next year.
Speaking to E! News, Glover said, "I thought that was so special."
"We were just watching that film and I'm like, that's such a great story but I'm just like, I dunno, I just hope that she's like having fun and don't let anybody make you feel the opposite of how you want to feel. It's a very special role and you earned it, so I hope you're listening," he said.
Glover isn't the first to support the 19-year-old star in the titular role. Freeform, the network that airs Bailey's show "grown-ish," released a scathing open letter over the weekend.
The network posted an open letter Sunday with the caption, "An open letter to the Poor, Unfortunate Souls." In the letter, the network took haters to task and stepped up big time for its star.
"Danish mermaids can be black because Danish *people* can be black," it continued. "Ariel can sneak up to the surface anytime with her pals Scuttle and the *ahem* Jamaican crab Sebastian ... and keep that bronze base tight. Black Danish people, and thus mer-folk, can also *genetically* have red hair."
The post, absolutely dripping with sarcasm, then hammered home the real purpose of the message, to support the young actress and tell folks Ariel is a work of fiction.
As for Bailey herself, she's living her life and just posted pictures from "The Lion King" premiere yesterday.
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