The Little Mermaid is a long beloved story about a mermaid who falls for a man and makes a deal with a sea witch to become human, written by Hans Christian Anderson in 1837. Disney adapted this classic fairy tale into what would become one of the most adored animated films ever made. Since the original film was released back in 1989, Disney has made the executive decision to remake the story into a live action version.
Since the reveal of the film’s production, The Little Mermaidhas been the topic of great discussion, particularly over Halle Bailey's casting as Ariel. However, these unjustified, and frankly racist, complaints have since fallen to the wayside, with many praising the diversity within the cast and Bailey's star-making performance. Here's your cast and character guide to the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
Halle Bailey as Ariel
Starring as Ariel, Triton's youngest daughter who is fascinated by all things in the human world, is Halle Bailey. Bailey is a singer-songwriter and actress, who has earned a total of five Grammy nominations for her musical work. As an actress, she has had minimal work, and, in fact, the role of Ariel will be the first lead role of her career. While a number of fans of the original animated film were upset at the decision to cast a Black woman in the role of Ariel, the decision to cast Bailey was not taken lightly as she possesses the required level of vocal and acting skill to carry off this role better than anyone else could.
Javier Bardem as King Triton
One of the most well-known actors on the cast list is Javier Bardem, who was cast in the role of King Triton, Ariel's father who despises the human world. Bardem has been typecast in villain roles throughout most of his career. While Triton is not exactly The Little Mermaid's antagonist, he does pose a problem to Ariel as he opposes everything she cares about, especially her curiosity about the human world. Bardem's career has been very busy lately, with him taking on the role of Stilgar in the critically acclaimed remake of Dune, a role he will reprise in Dune: Part Two. One can only wonder what he'll bring to the role of King Triton.
Melissa McCarthy as Ursula
Melissa McCarthy's name is typically associated with comedy movies like Bridesmaids and Spy. While many may believe McCarthy's talents only lie in the genre, casting her in the role of Ursula may make no sense. However, having her in a villain role with her own comedic spin may be just the combination needed to portray a perfect Ursula considering that, in the animated feature, the sea witch does have a sarcastic, somewhat comedic tone to her. It will be an interesting sight to see McCarthy as the sea witch with oodles of tentacles and her eel sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam.
Jonah Hauer-King as Eric
Ariel's love interest Prince Eric, whom she saves from drowning, is portrayed by Jonah Hauer-King. Hauer-King is an English actor who made headlines starring in the miniseries Howard's End. He went on to star in Little Woman, The Last Photograph and A Dog's Way Home. Thanks to the casting as Eric in The Little Mermaid, he has gained the honor of portraying the lead character Lale in the upcoming adaptation of The Tattooist of Aushwitz. If you haven't seen Hauer-King perform yet, The Little Mermaid provides the perfect opportunity.
Jacob Tremblay as Flounder
Flounder, Ariel's best friend and reliable companion, is portrayed by the young Jacob Tremblay. Starring in Room in 2015 at the young age of nine, Tremblay became the youngest actor to receive a nomination for Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. He went on to star in Doctor Sleep and was the title voice of the Pixar film Luca. Needless to say, Tremblay was the perfect choice for Flounder thanks to having oodles of experience despite only being 16 years old.
Daveed Diggs as Sebastian
Daveed Diggs is an actor, singer-songwriter, and rapper, who earned a Tony for his performance as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the critically acclaimed musical, Hamilton. Since leaving Hamilton, Diggs has gone on to star in Black-ish and Wonder, and he is also a regular on the TV adaptation of Snowpiercer. Casting Diggs as Sebastian the crab is a phenomenal choice as the actor has plenty of musical experience to do the character's iconic songs "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl" justice.
Awkwafina as Scuttle
Perhaps one of the biggest casting changes done in this live-action remake is changing the gender of Scuttle, effectively swap the bird from a male seagull to a female diving bird called a northern gannet. As such, Scuttle is now voiced by Awkwafina, American actress, rapper and comedian. She has starred in a number of prominent films including Crazy Rich Asiansand The Farewell, the latter of which earned her a historic Golden Globe. Considering that Scuttle adds a lot of comic relief to the film, Awkwafina was the perfect choice.
Noma Dumezweni as Queen Selina
A new addition to the live-action film that was not present in the animated film is Queen Selina, Eric's mother. Noma Dumezweni is a South-African-British actress who has numerous accolades under her belt including a Laurence Olivier Award and a Tony Award for her performance as Hermione in The Cursed Child. While Dumezweni's screen acting credits are limited, her experience on stage is bound to bring a whole new character to life. Considering that Queen Selina is a brand new character, Dumezweni may have her work cut out for her when portraying an all-new character that is not already beloved.
Art Malik as Grimsby
Grimsby is Eric's loyal butler, who looks out for the young man and wishes to see him married to the right young woman. Art Malik is most known for his roles in British and Indian television throughout the 1980s, making appearances in films like True Lies, Dean Spanley and A Passage to India. Casting a Pakistan-born Brit in the role of a typical Colonial British Man is a refreshing change of pace for The Little Mermaid that opens the door for greater diversity even among minor characters.
Jessica Alexander as Vanessa
Vanessa is Ursula's human alter-ego. Ursula takes on the appearance of a beautiful human in order to pull Eric away from Ariel so that she can get what she wants. Portraying Ursula's alter-ego is Jessica Alexander, who rose to fame after her performance in the Netflix series Get Even. Alexander made her film debut in Glasshouseand A Banquet, adding to her filmography before she had the chance to wow audiences with her performance in The Little Mermaid. Since her filmography is quite limited, it's entirely possible that her role in The Little Mermaid will open new doors for her career.
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